


Happiness is a Butterfly

by dorkythoughts



Category: British Actor RPF
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-12
Updated: 2020-03-03
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:15:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 56,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22230931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dorkythoughts/pseuds/dorkythoughts
Summary: Romance novelist, Aubrey Thompson takes a summer job on an island off the coast of England in search of something to reignite her passion for writing. When she meets a handsome stranger, she see the light at the end of the write's block tunnel, but love isn't always as easy as it is on the pages of her books.
Relationships: Henry Cavill/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 89
Kudos: 225





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> This idea has been bouncing around in my head since I watched the Witcher and fell in love with Henry Cavill. It was only going to be a one shot at first, but it got a bit out of hand and I figured I'd make it a chaptered story. I only have the first two chapters written so far, but I figured I would post the first one to gauge the response so please let me know if you'd like me to continue :)  
> Enjoy!

When people decide to spend their summer working in a pub on an island, the first thing that comes to mind is usually tropical. Sunny days, warm nights, every day off spent at the beach, a flawless tan, mai-tais and margaritas, bikinis and surfer dudes everywhere. The list goes on.

Now, considering that I lived in England for several years before the opportunity was presented to me and considering that the island in question was just off the coast of England, you would think that I would have had lower expectations. Sadly, I did not and sadly, I was greatly disappointed to discover that the not so tropical island of Jersey had an average daily high of only nineteen degrees and rained an average of seventeen days a month...even in the summer. It was a beautiful place and it was still a nice break from the city as my friend had advertised, but a bit more sun would have been highly appreciated.

I was feeling particularly resentful about this fact one day in mid July, about two weeks after we arrived, when I stepped outside and was instantly drenched by the downpour.

"For fuck's sake," I mumbled under my breath as I fumbled to lock the door before pulling my coat over my head and dashing down the street.

Luckily, the pub I was working at was less than a block away, but it was more than enough time to get me absolutely soaked. I burst through the door and was surprised to see that the place was barely half full. Usually the rain drew everyone inside, but there were storms forecast for the next few days so perhaps everyone was just hunkering down at home away from the horrible weather.

A laugh from across the room snapped me out of my thoughts and I looked up to see my best friend, Isla, behind the bar.

"How many times have I told you to get an umbrella?" She shouted as I headed her way.

"There's no point," I argued back. "It's too windy. I would get more wet fighting with an umbrella than I would just making a run for it."

"It's hard to think you could get more wet than you are now," She teased. "You should have brought a change of clothes."

"I didn't realize how hard it was raining," I pouted before sighing and looking around. "Busy day?"

"Not at all," She shook her head. "I've been bored out of my mind. Logan left an hour ago so it's just been me, but he said I could leave early if it stays like this and you're okay closing on your own?"

"Yeah," I shrugged. "If it's like this then there's no point in us both being stuck here."

"Great," She grinned. "Now go dry yourself off!"

I smiled and headed through the kitchen to find something that resembled a towel. The kitchen was closed, no doubt since it was such a quiet day, but I managed to find the secret stash of dish cloths and dried myself off as much as I could even though there wasn't much hope for my clothes. I threw my still damp hair into a messy bun before putting my bag in the closet that was our staff room and heading back out front to Isla.

We chatted for a bit and served the occasional customer, but overall it was hardly worth us both being there. To try and earn my pay cheque at least a little bit, I started organizing the back office, but I'd barely been gone fifteen minutes when Isla popped her head around the door.

"I hate to interrupt you being so inspiringly productive, but there's a man here that I think you'd like to see."

I raised an eyebrow at her statement.

"What do you mean by that?"

"He's just definitely your type."

I rolled my eyes, but smiled and put down the cloth I was using to dust some shelves.

"We've been over this before," I reminded her. "We have very different types and despite your best efforts, you've never been able to get mine right."

"I know," She admitted. "But this time I know I'm right."

She'd managed to pique my curiosity so I followed her and peeked around the door of the kitchen as she pretended to wipe a beer tap.

"Just at the end of the bar," She mumbled just loud enough for me to hear. "To the right of that man that Logan is friends with, Chris or Charlie or something like that."

Charlie. I'd seen him a few times and he was always friendly. I spotted him quickly since there weren't many people sitting at the bar and then let my eyes settle on the man he was with.

Wow. For a minute I was speechless. He was beautiful. His face was warm and handsome and the arm that was leaning on the bar showed muscles bigger than my head. I couldn't help, but stare until Isla brought me back to reality.

"So?" She hissed.

"You win this time, Isla," I relented. "Holy crap, he's gorgeous."

A smile burst onto her face and she practically skipped over to me, pulling me back just past the kitchen doorway so we could discuss, but she could still keep an eye on the bar.

"I knew you'd like him!" She gloated. "Do you want to switch? I'll finish whatever you were doing and you can mind the bar. Maybe you can slip him your number with his next pint?"

I stared at her for a moment, hoping my expression conveyed my thoughts on her suggestion. However, she just watched me with a hopeful, excited look on her face so I shook my head.

"Does that really sound like me, Isla?" I asked. "You know how I am. I don't know how to flirt. When I'm interested in a guy, I show it by completely ignoring them so I don't embarrass myself and then they assume I'm not interested and it never goes anywhere."

"The first step to finding a solution is admitting there's a problem," She said wisely. "If you know that's your downfall then just don't be like that!"

"First of all, I don't know how to be any other way," I informed her. "And second of all even if I had the best flirting skills in the world, someone like that would never go for me!"

"Now you're irritating me," She signed, crossing her arms. "You're twenty-nine, Bree! You need to stop being so down on yourself or you'll be alone forever. You're funny, smart, caring and smoking hot, especially after all that yoga you've been doing. You're a catch. And if you can write flirting the way that you do then I'm sure you can figure out how to do it yourself."

"I appreciate that," I smiled. "But I'm still not going to go out there and give my number to some guy who looks like a Greek god."

"Well," She looked at the clock with a smirk on her face. "It's time for me to leave anyway. So even if you don't give him your number you can at least go out front and flaunt what you've got."

"I don't flaunt!" I protested as she pushed me out front with a laugh.

I looked around as she went to gather her things and realized I was in for a long evening. It was a weekday so I knew I could close at nine if it stayed this dead, but it had emptied out while I was cleaning the office so there was barely a handful of people left.

"Are you sure you'll be okay without me?" Isla asked sarcastically as she reappeared with her coat on and umbrella in her hand.

"I'm actually not sure," I joked. "Maybe you should stay just in case."

"Ha! I can't," She said unapologetically. "I have plans tonight. Got a hot Skype date with Joe."

I wrinkled my nose in disgust at the thought of what a 'hot Skype date' with her boyfriend would entail and held up my hand in protest.

"Say no more," I insisted. "I should be home by nine-thirty, there won't be much clean up tonight I'm guessing. So please, keep the noise down after nine just in case."

"No promises," She giggled as she walked off down the bar before shouting a goodbye and heading to the door.

Once Isla was gone, there wasn't much I could do. Everything behind the bar had been cleaned and even though the few patrons left didn't need much of my attention, I couldn't just leave them all unattended to go and clean the office. So since I had no other option, I pulled out my phone and scrolled mindlessly through my various social medias, pausing briefly now and then to pour someone a beer until everyone had left except Logan's friend and the man he was with. I watched them briefly, admiring the handsome stranger as Charlie stood from his bar stool and finished his drink before patting his friend on the back and saying goodnight.

The man left at the bar pulled out his phone, scrolling just as I had been before I got distracted by his face. I hoped my staring wasn't too obvious, but the more I looked at him, the more familiar he seemed. I just couldn't place why. Of course, he could have been in before or I could have seen him somewhere else in Jersey, but surely I would have remembered seeing someone so handsome in person.

I was still mulling over where I could know him from when his eyes lifted up from his phone and met mine. I jumped slightly, knowing I'd been caught and felt my cheeks heat up as I tried to make my brain work enough to speak.

"Sorry," I eventually blurted out after what felt like far too long. "I, uh, I just....You look familiar. Do I know you from somewhere?"

A smile slid onto his face as he placed his phone down on the bar in front of him.

"Do you like Superman?"

It was an innocent enough question, but I didn't know what he was getting at so I simply shrugged.

"I don't dislike him, but I wouldn't say I'm a huge fan."

"That explains it then," He chuckled, his deep voice perfectly matching his manly appearance. "I'm an actor. I played Superman in the recent movies. Henry Cavill."

He held out his hand for me to shake and I placed my own phone on the counter before moving close enough to take his hand.

"Aubrey Thompson. And that's very impressive!" I smiled, trying to keep myself calm. "What's a super star actor doing in little ol' Jersey?"

"I'm visiting my family," He informed me. "I was born here, my parents still live here."

"That's nice. It's always good to get back to your roots."

"Exactly. I just finished up a shoot for a Netflix series in Budapest so I figured I may as well make the most of the short break and catch up with everyone before I'm whisked off on a press tour."

"Sounds Iike you have a busy schedule."

I cursed myself for being so awkward, but small talk was not my strong point and I didn't know what else to say. The man seemed unfazed though as he finished off his beer and spoke to me again.

"Busy is an understatement," He smiled, placing the empty pint glass back on the bar. "But what about you? That accent doesn't sound like it's from Jersey."

"It's not. I'm Canadian." I felt the usual swell of pride in my stomach at the mention of my home country and couldn't help, but return his smile. "Living in Manchester at the moment though. I'm just here for the summer."

"That explains your friend's accent then," He chuckled. "I knew she sounded northern."

"She's as northern as it gets," I said fondly. "Her uncle owns this pub and her cousin, Logan, runs it so we came down for the summer to help out."

"They're good people," The man nodded. "Logan is one of my brother's oldest friends. Charlie, the one who was here before. Funnily enough, he lives in Canada now. He's just over visiting for a few weeks with a couple of my nephews."

"Oh, I didn't know that. I've met him a few times and he never mentioned it."

"Doesn't surprise me," Henry rolled his eyes. "That boy is horrible at small talk."

I laughed at his brotherly teasing before shrugging softly.

"Can't be much worse than me."

"I haven't noticed any trouble," He assured me before looking around. "What time are you closing tonight? I seem to be the last one here and I don't want to keep you if you're eager to get home."

I glanced at the clock seeing that it was only eight-thirty and shook my head.

"Even on nights like tonight, the earliest we close is nine so I'm stuck here for another half hour at least."

"Well in that case, may I have another pint?" He asked politely, pulling his wallet out of his pocket. "And perhaps one for yourself if don't mind the company?"

We weren't really supposed to drink on the job, but one pint wouldn't hurt and technically it was just good customer service since it was at the request of a patron. I'd seen other bartenders take shots at the request of pretty young girls on the weekends so it wasn't like it was considered a sackable offence. 

"A pint sounds lovely," I smiled, accepting his offer once I'd mulled over the pros and cons. "The same as you had before?"

He nodded and I poured the two drinks before taking his cash and giving him his change.

"I gave you a discount," I confessed with a wink. "But shh, don't tell."

He laughed as he held his drink up to clink gently against mine before taking a sip.

"Your secret is safe with me," He promised as I leaned on the bar.

"Should Superman really be sinking pints on a Tuesday night?" I teased. "I would have thought those muscles were built more from protein shakes than beer?"

"No, he probably shouldn't be," He admitted with a chuckle. "But it was tough keeping in shape for my last role so I think I've earned a bit of slack as far as my diet goes, at least while I'm on holiday."

"No judgement here!"

I sipped my pint as a silence settled between us for a moment before he spoke again.

"So what brings you to the UK?"

I pondered how to answer his question for a moment before settling on a simple word.

"Inspiration."

"You were inspired to come or you came here to find it?"

I felt my cheeks twinge pink at his genuine interest in my life and cursed my pale skin that would clearly let it show. I was never great at talking about myself.

"I came here to find it," I confessed. "I'm a writer."

"Anything I would know?"

I giggled quietly and shook my head.

"Probably not, I write romance novels."

My confession earned a lift of Henry's eyebrow.

"As in love stories?" He questioned. "Or something more...pornographic?"

My cheeks heated up again under his gaze as I elaborated.

"They are love stories," I defended. "But yes, they do tend to get a bit pornographic."

Henry's shoulders shook as he laughed and I couldn't help, but join him.

"What got you into that?" He asked. "I've always wondered what makes someone sit down and write a book of cheesy porn."

"Hey now," I glared playfully, knowing his comments meant no offence. "It's not all cheesy porn. Not what I write at least, it's romantic and passionate."

"Fair enough," He smirked. "But what made you start writing that particular genre?"

"I liked writing love stories," I shrugged. "And a big part of love is sex. It always felt like part of the connection was missing without it. Plus, middle aged women go absolutely mad for it so it's an easy sell."

"And when the inspiration ran out you thought to yourself 'I'll go meet the rough and tumble young men of Manchester to find some true romance'?"

There was a tinge of sarcasm in his words and I rolled my eyes knowing how a lot of people from the south of England playfully, or not so playfully, looked down on the north. It was a friendly enough rivalry, similar to the east and west divide in my own country. 

"I did," I nodded with a smile. "I came in search of a suave British man with a wonderful accent."

"And how has that gone for you?"

"No prince charming yet," I confessed. I could have sworn he seemed pleased by that answer as he took a swig of his pint to hide his smile, but I figured I was just getting carried away. "I wouldn't blame it on Manchester though. Dating is hard these days."

"I'll toast to that," Henry nodded, lifting up his glass.

It was my turn to raise an eyebrow now as I tapped my glass against his.

"Really now? I would have thought that dating would be easy for Superman. Women must throw themselves at your feet."

"Which makes it harder to tell whether they're genuine or see me as a fantasy," He pointed out. "Besides, I could say the same for you. I'm surprised you aren't fighting men off."

My jaw dropped slightly as I scoffed at his words.

"Hardly," I assured him. "I've tried the dating apps, but men on there are so shallow. If you're hot they'll match with you, but they have no interest in your personality. They usually just want to hook up and no one seems interested in meeting the old fashioned way these days."

"What do you consider the old fashioned way?"

"You know, like meeting in a bar or something."

"A bar like this?"

He moved his hand to gesture to the room we were in and I narrowed my eyes suspiciously.

"Yes, just like this. What are you suggesting?" I asked, but when all I got was a wink in response, I gasped in feigned shock. "Are you flirting with me, Henry?"

"Well, apparently I'm doing a bad job if you have to ask," He chuckled. "But yes, I'm trying to."

I lifted my pint up, letting it hover in front of my lips to hide my grin before taking a sip. My brain was running a mile a minute, thoughts of him messing with me filling my mind as all my insecurities bubbled up, but I did my best to squash them.

"Wow, what an honour!"

My words were sarcastic, but deflection was my typical defence mechanism as I warned Isla before she left. Henry, however, seemed unfazed once again.

"Well with a line like 'sorry, but do I know you?' I thought we were on the same page."

My jaw dropped again.

"That was not a line!" I protested as he laughed and shook his head in disbelief. "You're a celebrity so I was right about probably having seen you before, but clearly not a very well known one so I didn't recognize you properly!"

Now it was Henry's turn to protest.

"I'm very well known in the right circles!"

"Well, obviously not circles that I'm in."

"Ouch," Henry chuckled. "I thought Canadians were supposed to be nice."

"We are, but we have a cruel sense of humour sometimes," I informed him. "But I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings, I'm sure you're very famous."

Henry tossed his head back with a laugh before shaking his head again.

"Oh, please stop. Your pity is just making it worse." 

He dramatically put his head in his hands for a moment as I giggled and tossed back the last sip of my pint, the clock on the wall catching my eye as I placed my glass back on the bar.

"Wow, time really does fly when you're having fun," I mused. "But it is ten after nine now so I should probably close up."

Henry's smile faltered a little as he checked his phone as if to verify I had the time right.

"Do you have much to do?" He asked, sliding his empty glass towards me.

"Not loads," I shrugged. "Just cashing up the till and running one load of dishes through the dishwasher."

"Well, forgive me if this is presumptuous since we do barely know each other," He started looking a tad sheepish, almost nervous. "But I should probably take my dog for a walk before bed. Would you care to join?"

"Join you in bed or for the walk?"

It slipped out before I could stop myself and I clasped a hand over my mouth as Henry stared at me in shock for a moment before laughing.

"I was referring to the walk," He clarified. "But I've always been a man who never says never."

I felt my knees go weak at the thought of my night ending in bed with this godly handsome man, but managed to keep my composure as I nodded.

"Alright, that sounds nice," I smiled. "Just give me twenty minutes or so to finish up here."

Henry returned my smile with a nod before busying himself on his phone while I got to work.


	2. Chapter Two

As promised, it didn't take me long to finish up what I needed to do and luckily by the time we left the pub, it had stopped raining. The wind was still atrocious though, a reminder that the storm wasn't over yet. Our walk towards Henry's house started off in silence which was not good for my insecurities despite how hard I was trying to stay calm. My mind couldn't help, but wander, wondering why he would bother to invite me with him to walk his dog and before I knew it I'd opened my mouth.

"Why did you ask if I'd like to come with you?"

He looked surprised, but I couldn't tell if it was the suddenness of my question or the question it's self. His surprise quickly turned into a look of reflection though before he answered.

"Because I find you refreshing."

I wasn't sure what I was expecting, but that answer certainly wasn't it.

"What do you mean by refreshing?"

"Well you're easy to talk to," He started. "And I'm not going to lie, it was nice that you didn't know who I was and even nicer that when you found out, you couldn't have cared less."

I snorted a laugh at his words.

"It sounds rude when you put it like that!"

"No, no!" He chuckled. "I appreciate it. Even people who don't know me or care for me tend to have a shift in their attitude when they realize who I am. It's always a blessing to meet someone who isn't bothered and of course, it's a bonus that you're gorgeous as well."

My cheeks instantly began to burn as he shot me a wink.

"Celebrities are just normal people," I shrugged. "Doesn't really change much, I'd still prefer to judge you based on whether or not you're an asshole."

Henry laughed at my bluntness, but nodded his head in approval.

"So what made you say yes to my invitation?"

I paused for a moment before smirking.

"I had nothing better to do," I teased earning another laugh from my new friend. "No, but seriously. You seem nice and I was enjoying our conversation."

"It had nothing to do with these impressive muscles of mine or my dashing smile?"

"I'd be lying if I said they didn't help persuade me," I admitted with a shy smile. "But I was trying not to sexualize you."

"How very kind," He smirked as he came to a stop in front of a house. "Now, I hate to be terribly rude, but would you mind waiting out here while I get Kal? My nephews might still be awake and if I bring home a new face at this time, my brother will never get them to bed."

He looked sheepish as he asked the question, but I dismissed his concerns with a wave of my hand. No doubt there would be questions if he showed up at his family home with a mysterious woman, at least I knew there would be if it was my family, and that was an awkward situation that I was just as happy to avoid as he was.

"No worries," I assured him. "I have nephews of my own so I understand completely."

"Great," He grinned. "I'll be two minutes, I promise."

I smiled and nodded as he jogged off down the path to the front door. Once he was out of sight I quickly reached into my bag and dug around until I felt the familiar shape of my pack of cigarettes. I pulled one out and lit it up, hoping the comforting feeling would ease the nerves I was trying to reign in. I tried not to smoke much, the pack I was currently about half-way through had already lasted me a few weeks, but it was a clutch and I needed something to keep me level-headed at times like this. I mean, I was on what some would consider a date with Superman for God's sake. These were desperate times.

Clearly, I got lost in my comfort cigarette though because before I knew it Henry was jogging back down the path towards me with a big fluffy dog in tow.

"Were you smoking?" He asked, a disapproving look on his face as his dog paused by a bush to relieve himself.

"Just one," I mumbled as I quickly put it out and grabbed a mint out of my bag to get rid of the taste. "It's a nervous habit."

"Why are you nervous?"

There was a smile on his face that led me to believe he knew the answer, but he did sound genuinely concerned despite enjoying watching me squirm.

"I've just never been good at....this kind of thing," I explained dumbly, not wanting to use the word date in case that wasn't his intention despite how it seemed. "You know, hanging out with new people."

"Or going on dates?"

His smile turned into a grin as I blushed once again, but I managed to keep my cool.

"Oh, is that what this is?"

"Seems like one to me," He shrugged nonchalantly. "Romantic walk around Jersey on a warm, stormy summer night. Sounds pretty date-ish."

"And here I was thinking we were just two incredibly attractive people hanging out platonically."

I flashed him a smirk of my own to go along with my confident statement despite the fact that my actual confidence did not match my words. He seemed sufficiently fooled though as he chuckled and shook his head.

"Perhaps for now," He conceded. "But the night is still young."

"That is very true," I smiled. "Now, where is this dog I was promised an introduction to?"

"Kal!"

Henry's call was quiet enough not to disturb the neighbours, but firm enough that it showed his command and without a moment's hesitation, a giant fluffy ball came galloping towards us with his tongue hanging out.

"Awwwe," I giggled as I squatted down and let him run into my arms as he jumped around licking my face. "Aren't you a handsome guy? And so friendly too!"

Henry watched us for a moment as I squished and hugged his companion until the young dog got a bit too excited and knocked me backwards onto my bum. I laughed as I landed, but Henry looked mortified.

"Alright, Kal, that's enough!" He commanded. The dog immediately backed away and sat down, but his tail was still wagging frantically as Henry held out his hand to help me up. "I'm so sorry about him. He gets excited when new people give him attention."

"It's no problem," I assured him, enjoying the feeling of his hand in mine. "Getting crushed to death by a happy dog is not a bad way to go."

"No, I suppose not," Henry smiled, keeping a firm hold on my hand as he began to walk down the street, letting out a short whistle that encouraged his dog to follow us. "But it wouldn't do much for Kal's reputation."

"No, I suppose not," I agreed. "Or yours for that matter."

"That's an excellent point," He chuckled. "I could see the headlines now: Superman sics dog on poor unsuspecting woman!"

"Do the media bother you very much while you're here?"

"Luckily not so much," Henry admitted. "I don't think it's worth their time to trek over to the island just for pictures of me so it's a nice break. It's not very often I can invite a beautiful woman on an impromptu date back in London without being hounded by photographers begging to know who she is and how long we've been together."

"I would imagine it makes the 'getting to know each other' stage a bit more challenging," I agreed. "But from my experience small town life is almost as bad."

"That's very true! The local rumour mill is possibly almost worse. I'm sure my mum's already heard about the mysterious brunette I'm with right now if anyone's looked out their window," He chuckled, shaking his head. "So you're from a small town then?"

"I am indeed," I nodded. "Port Hope, it's about an hour outside of Toronto. Super small, I think there's only like ten thousand people so gossip spreads like wildfire."

"I can imagine!" He smiled. "Do your family still live there?"

"My parents do," I nodded. "But my siblings all live in Toronto now. I lived there as well before I moved here. Most people head for the city as soon as they're old enough."

"A similar thing happens here," Henry mused as Kal trotted around a corner ahead of us. Henry whistled for him quickly and once he reappeared he nodded his head in the other direction. Understanding perfectly what his owner wanted, Kal bounded off in that direction instead. "I always take him to the beach, but the waves will be too high with winds like this so we'll go to the park instead."

"That's very impressive, he must be very well-trained," I complimented him. "You didn't even have to say a word and he knew exactly what you wanted from him."

Henry grinned proudly at my observations.

"We spend a lot of time together," He explained. "He's honestly my best mate so there's a lot of trust and respect between us."

"That's really sweet."

I smiled up at him as we walked, our hands swinging between us. A comfortable silence fell as we approached the park and sat on a bench while Kal frolicked, chasing some birds. It wasn't until we were settled that Henry spoke again.

"So you have siblings?"

"A brother and a sister," I nodded. "Both older than me, both massively more successful."

Henry laughed at my casual self deprecation.

"In what way?"

"Just about every way," I giggled with a shrug. "My brother is a high paid lawyer with a beautiful wife and three perfect children, my sister is a doctor and engaged to an engineer who is top of his field. So the starving artist, struggling writer thing I have going on doesn't really impress the parents too much."

My tone was light-hearted as I'd accepted the way things were in my family long ago, but Henry flashed me a sympathetic look.

"I understand," He assured me. "Obviously things worked out for me in the end, but when I told my parents that I was going to be an actor instead of following my brother's into the military, it didn't go down so well. If it's any consolation though, I've learnt over the years that their distaste for your choices probably comes more from worry than disappointment. No parent wants to think of their child struggling to get by."

"I get that," I nodded. "But even after my first few books were published, before I lost all inspiration, I was doing pretty well financially and they still weren't pleased. They're just not the artsy types so they don't understand doing something for a passion instead of because it's sensible."

Henry looked deep in thought as I answered and his next question surprised me.

"What caused this loss of inspiration?" He asked, changing the subject slightly. "If you don't mind me asking, that is. You've mentioned it a few times now."

I hesitated briefly before deciding to be completely honest with him.

"Heartbreak," I confessed. "It's hard to write about love and romance when your faith in it gets shaken."

"That's understandable," He nodded. "Nothing like a nasty break up to stem the creative flow."

"Exactly," I smiled. "It was a long time ago now though, but it stalled me enough that I broke the habit of writing every day like I used to and it's been hard to get the spark back."

"I'm sure you'll get back into it when the time is right."

I'd been told those words by many people since my creative dry spell began. My agent, for example, had reluctantly resigned herself to that fact when she realized that the daily calls and texts demanding I start a new project wouldn't make me work any faster, but hearing it from Henry it felt more reassuring.

"I better since I have no other skills," I joked, trying to prevent our conversation from taking a depressing turn. Henry chuckled at my words and my heart fluttered slightly at the sound. "So what's this new Netflix show you were filming?"

Henry's eyes lit up at my question as Kal ran over with a giant stick that seemed more like a log. Henry tossed it as far as he could for his pal before turning his attention back to me.

"It's called The Witcher," He informed me. "It's based on a series of fantasy novels, but I first heard about it because of the video game. The first two aren't great, but Witcher 3 is amazing. I've played it through twice so when I heard they were making a show, I was determined to get the role."

He beamed with excitement as he answered, but I couldn't contain the giggles that burst from my lips.

"Oh my gosh, I never would have pegged you for a nerd!" I teased. "You're so manly and tough, yet here you are so obsessed with a video game that you're literally re-enacting it."

"These muscles are all for sword-fighting," Henry admitted with a chuckle, effortlessly throwing the branch for Kal once again. "But it really is my hobby and what I love to do in my free time so getting paid to do it as my job was ideal. It's a great character and I wanted to make sure it was done properly."

"That's really cute," I grinned earning a playful glare at my half-patronizing words. "I'm really just teasing though, I'm a nerd too so no judgement here."

"Really?"

"Absolutely," I nodded. "I love all kinds of books. Really, I'll read anything. Probably explains why I'm a writer, but I love a bit of fantasy every now and then. I've never heard of the Witcher, but Lord of the Rings is one of my all time favourite series to read."

"It's a classic!" He agreed with a smile. Before I had time to answer, Kal came sprinting back towards us, this time with no stick in sight. He barked and skidded to a stop at my feet before nudging me with his nose. I went to pet him in response, but he bounced away, playfully sticking his bum in the air and wiggling it before running off again. "I think he wants you to chase him."

"Oh, does he?"

Kal barked from where he was standing, bouncing from paw to paw excitedly, as if he was answering my question. I didn't want to make a fool of myself, but at the same time Kal was hard to say no to so I found myself raising to my feet and jogging towards the dog.

He stayed still, his tail wagging furiously, until I was almost close enough to pet him before bounding off again, his tongue hanging out of his mouth as he grinned goofily. I laughed at the sight before running after him. I caught up to him as he stopped again and managed to ruffle his big fluffy neck before he was off again, bounding back towards the bench.

"Yeah, good boy, Kal! Go get your dad to play with us too!"

I heard Henry chuckled from across the field as he stood before Kal even reached him. The dog stopped in his tracks at the sight, once again sticking his bum in the air as he let his owner get within arm's reach before racing back to me. I laughed as Henry let out a playful growl and chased him at full speed. He looped around my legs, so fast I didn't even have chance to touch him, but as I went to chase him as well, my foot slipped in the mud from all the rain earlier that day and I fell to the ground.

It was disgusting and slimy and I was embarrassed by my clear lack of grace in front of my date, but I couldn't help, but laugh at the situation. In fact, I was laughing so hard that I couldn't stand up and was still in the mud as Henry jogged up to me, trying to contain his own laughter.

"Are you okay?" He asked, clearing his throat to try and sound sincere. "That was quite a fall."

"I'm fine," I giggled. "Embarrassed, but fine."

He chuckled again and held out his hand to help me up which put an idea in my head. I grabbed his hand, but resisted when he tried to pull me up, digging my feet in the dirt slightly. In normal circumstances, he probably would have been able to toss me ten feet into the air with those muscles of his, but the ground under his feet was muddy as well so my slight resistance was enough for him to lose his footing and fall to the ground next to me.

"Oops," I smirked before dissolving into giggles at the look of shock on his face. Kal barked from across the park and I shot Henry an innocent look as I tried to get to my feet. "Better go get Kal."

I was halfway standing when Henry realized what had happened.

"Oh no, you dont," He warned, grabbing the back of my pants and pulling me back to the ground. "I have a feeling that wasn't an accident."

I tried once again to scramble to my feet, but he pushed me down, using his body to pin me in place. My giggles were nearly uncontrollable now as I vaguely attempted to protest, but as my giggles dissipated, I became incredibly aware of our situation.

His strong body was trapping me easily, his biceps bulging by my head where he held himself up on his forearms. His legs were off to the side, but his torso was completely above me with my hands pressed to his chest where they'd been trying to push him away from me. I could feel his muscles through his coat and his breath on my face due to the close proximity. 

My eyes landed on his face and found him staring down at me, his cheeks flushed from the running and the laughter and his hair wild from our little wrestling match. The air felt thick and heavy between us and even the sound of Kal's bark seemed feint and distant despite him still standing close by. I shyly met Henry's gaze and absent mindedly wet my lips.

"Do you want me to move?" Henry asked, his voice was deeper than it had been moments before and snapped me out of my thoughts. I didn't trust my voice enough to speak so I simply shook my head, not even noticing the mud I was rubbing into my hair by doing so. He smirked at my answer. "Do you want me to kiss you?"

My mind was running wild, thinking this had to be a joke. That he would laugh and jump away, leaving me in the mud with my disappointment. But I wanted it to be real so badly that my head was nodding before I was even aware. Henry's smirk slid into a smile as he gently brushed his nose against mine for a moment before our lips connected.

It was soft at first, but his warm lips against mine sent sparks down my spine. My grip on his shirt tightened instinctively as if I was scared he was going to jerk away at any moment as our lips moved together cautiously, trying to figure each other out. He pulled back slightly after a moment or two to catch his breath, but I hadn't had enough. As if I was Cinderella and my fairytale evening was going to end at midnight, I snaked one hand up behind his neck and pulled him back towards me with slightly more urgency than before. There was no complaints on his part though and he responded eagerly. His lips moving against mine with a fierceness and a need that made my stomach start to tingle. Just as his tongue pressed against my lips, begging them to part for him, Kal began to growl and bark with greater urgency.

Henry groaned in annoyance and reluctantly pulled back, looking over to see what had his dog so annoyed. It was then however that I realized, the few rain drops I'd barely noticed when we landed in the mud had grown into a steady stream that was heading towards a downpour similar to the one earlier that day.

"He's such a princess," Henry rolled his eyes. "He hates the rain."

I smiled, rubbing the back of his neck with my thumb.

"I'm not a big fan of it either," I confessed. "Even though it doesn't seem so bad right now."

Henry chuckled and pressed himself up onto his palms before bouncing to his feet. Kal instantly appeared by his side, whining and chirping as if he was physically in pain. I smiled and sat up to scratch his fluffy head.

"Awwe, poor Kal," I cooed. "Are you gonna melt if you get wet?"

He 'boofed' at me as if to say yes as Henry held out his hand to help me up. This time I accepted with no resistance as the rain picked up even more.

"He just can't stand to see me having more fun than him," Henry sighed. "But I should probably get you home and out of this nasty weather anyway."

"You don't need to get me home," I insisted, dismissing him with a wave of my hand. "I live about as far from the pub as you do, but the other direction so we'll pass your house on the way."

He stared at me like I was insane for a moment before shaking his head.

"I wouldn't be much of a gentleman if I let you walk home alone," He informed me. "What if something happened to you?"

I rolled my eyes as we headed back to the street despite the fact that his worry was quite sweet.

"Nothing will happen to me," I insisted. "I walk myself home all the time. I'd be shocked if anything scary or dangerous happened in this little place."

"Ah, but it's always the little places where the scariest things happen," He pointed out with a smile. "I'll sleep better tonight knowing I saw you to your door."

"But how will I sleep if I don't see you to your door?"

"I think these big ol' muscles of mine might keep me safe," He teased, playfully flexing his biceps, making his large muscles look even more impressive. "But if it will ease your worries, I can take your number and let you know when I'm safely at home."

"What a sneaky way to get my number," I smiled. "But it would ease my worries."

He pulled his phone out of his pocket and unlocked it before handing it to me. I shielded it from the rain as best I could as I quickly typed my number in and handed it back.

We hurried the rest of the way, letting Kal run up to Henry's parent's porch on our way by with a specific command from Henry to 'stay' (even though it didn't seem like Kal had much interest in following us anyway), making it to my flat in record time. It was above a small little store so the door was nestled between two shop fronts and we squeezed into the tiny doorway to get a break from the rain as we said goodnight.

"I had a really nice time," I smiled as water dripped off both of our faces. "Thank you for making a boring day more interesting."

"Thank you," He returned my smile, leaning in closer until our faces were only inches apart. "For making my evening walk much more eventful than normal."

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, his lips pressed against mine. I melted into him, trying to soak up the wonderful sensation until he reluctantly pulled away.

"Mmm," I sighed happily. "I thought Spiderman was the one who kissed in the rain, not Superman?"

"You haven't even watched my movies," Henry reminded me with a smirk. "You don't even know how Superman kisses."

"Fair point," I giggled. "Maybe I'll have to do some research."

Henry's hands settled on my waist as he pulled me towards him for another short kiss.

"Or you could just learn first hand..."

"That does sound like more fun," I smiled, reluctantly pulling my keys out of my bag. "But I wouldn't possibly be able to focus with the thought of poor Kal waiting on that porch for you. Let me know when you get home?"

"Of course," Henry nodded, stepping back so I could open the door. "Goodnight, Aubrey."

"Goodnight, Henry."

I slipped through the door, making sure it closed and locked behind me before practically skipping up the stairs. _Aubrey_. Even the way he said my name in his delightful accent made my knees go weak. My cheeks hurt from smiling and I completely forgot that I was covered in mud. Until I walked into the apartment I shared with Isla, that is, and I knew I'd been caught.

"What on earth happened to you?" She asked, with a knowing smile on her face. "Where on earth have you been? And who the heck was that who walked you to the door?!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all the kudos!  
> It's lovely to know people are intrigued by this story. I always welcome any feedback so comments are much appreciated as well! :)


	3. Chapter Three

The rest of the week went by fairly normally. I had a few short, flirty text conversations with Henry, but nothing had really progressed as far as that goes which made the whole thing even more surreal. It almost would have been easy for me to think it had all just been a crazy dream if it wasn't for Isla talking about it non-stop. She was probably more excited than I was about the whole thing. By the time Saturday rolled around, I was regretting ever talking to her about our 'date' at all.

We were both stuck at work which I usually didn't mind, but there was a rugby match on and rugby match days were the worst. By twelve o'clock, the place was packed and men were tossing back pints almost as fast as we could serve them. It would only take a few hours for everyone to be absolutely pissed, even less for the lightweights. It was never fun to be a female bartender in a pub full of wasted rugby fans especially when most of them were probably old enough to be your father.

I thought it would be a nice break from Isla's constant teasing though since we were both so run off our feet that we didn't even have time to talk to each other, but she still somehow managed to find a way. It was around mid-afternoon when her voice broke me out of my thoughts as I was pouring pints on the other side of the bar.

"Ooh, Logan's here," She announced, waving to get her cousin's attention. "And he's with his friend. Hey, Logan! Is Superman here too? I know someone who would like to see him!"

I'd taken the money from the man I was serving as she spoke so I rushed over to where she was standing, next to the till.

"Oh my god, Isla!" I hissed. "What are you, twelve years old? Control yourself!"

"He didn't even hear me," She smirked. "You can relax. Even though you clearly like him based on that little freak out."

"I had a nice time with him," I admitted. "But I don't want him to think I'm insane or desperate because of my friend being childish."

"Fine," She pouted. "I won't say another word, but he just walked in so you have to serve him if he comes to the bar."

"Deal," I relented, taking the man I was serving his change.

Luckily, after that the next round, or set or period or inning or whatever the sections in a rugby match are called, started and the crowd around the bar thinned slightly. Also luckily, Logan seized this opportunity to come up to the bar to get drinks for his whole table.

"How's the day going, ladies?" He asked as we poured the three pints he requested. "Seems busy."

"Very busy," Isla nodded. "But no massive incidents so far."

"Glad to hear that," Logan smiled, taking all three pints in his hands with practiced skill. "Can you put these on my tab? And we'll be here for a while so just give us a shout if anyone gives you too much hassle."

We assured him that we would and set back to refilling stock and glasses during the slight lull. However, almost as if Logan had summoned us trouble by mentioning it, not even twenty minutes later, two very overly intoxicated men staggered to the bar. They were so far gone that they had to hold onto the counter to stop themselves from swaying backwards once they'd placed their empty glasses on top of it.

"Hey, love!" One of them hollered at me as I was the closest to them. "Give us another pint, yeah?"

I shared a knowing look with Isla before shaking my head.

"I'm afraid not, buddy," I informed him. "Looks like you've already had too many. We won't be able to serve you anymore."

"What do you mean?!" He snapped, his face instantly twisting in anger. "Who are you to tell me I've had too much to drink?!"

"The sober person serving him?"

I fought back a smile at Isla's quiet commentary that only I could hear and stayed firm with the man in front of me.

"I'm the person responsible for not over serving any patrons of this establishment," I informed him. "Now you can go back to your table with a glass of water and enjoy the rest of the match or I can get security and you can leave."

"Fuck this American bitch, mate," The second man finally chimed in. "If they won't take our money, then we can take it for free."

Before I could stop him, he picked up his glass from the bar top, leaned over the counter and began to pour his own pint from the tap. Annoyance flashed through me and I jumped into action, protesting loudly and reaching for the glass that he was filling. I was out numbered though and before I could get my hand to it's target, the first man grabbed it, bending my wrist backwards in a way that made me gasp in pain. 

Everything happened so quickly, but suddenly I was paralyzed. The pain of my wrist feeling like it was about to snap had me whimpering weakly, scared to move in case I made the pain any worse than it already was.

"Logan!" I heard Isla shout as I focused on not crying. "Help!"

There was a flurry of activity and seconds later my hand was released from the horrible grasp. I let out a sigh of relief, instantly rubbing the painful spot with my uninjured hand as I looked up and saw Henry dragging the man away by his collar.

"What the fuck are you doing, mate?" Logan roared at the man in question with an anger I'd never seen from my usually calm and collected friend. "I ought to have you fucking arrested for assault! You don't put your hands on a woman ever, but especially not for doing her fucking job!"

"I'm okay, I'm okay!" I assured him, realizing the eyes of everyone in the pub were now on us as Henry's brother went to the other side, pushing the aggressive man's accomplice away from the bar as well. "Just get them out of here."

Logan took a breath to calm himself down.

"Alright, you heard her," He glared at them. "Get out of here now and I don't ever want to see your faces here again."

The men had the decency to look sheepish as Henry and his brother shoved them in the general direction of the door. They staggered towards it, bouncing off each other as they stumbled and once they were out of sight everyone's attention turned to me.

"Oh my god, are you okay?" Isla fretted as she ran over, taking my wrist in her hand to check it over. "It looks swollen, does it feel swollen?"

"No, it feels okay. It's just a bit sore," I assured her before looking up at the men on the other side of the bar. "Thanks for helping me out there, guys."

"Anytime," Henry offered a sympathetic smile. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yeah," I sighed, blinking back more tears, this time out of anger instead of pain. "Just pissed off. I don't get why some men think it's okay to behave that way! First of all, stealing when they're told they can't have something and then assaulting the person who tries to stop them? It's a piss take."

"I'm sorry, Bree," Logan sighed, looking genuinely apologetic despite the fact that he was in no way responsible for the incident. "Do you want me to cover the rest of your shift? I've only had one pint so I don't mind."

"No, no, of course not," I waved him off as Isla pressed a cup of ice to my wrist, looking up at me like a small child who was worried about her mother. "But can you maybe cover the bar for ten minutes while I go for a cig? I need to calm down."

"Of course," He nodded eagerly. "Take as long as you need."

"And take the ice!" Isla insisted, making me smile as I walked away.

\--

I had only been outside for a few minutes before a shadow blocked the sun that was soaking the small wall I was sitting on. I looked up and was pleasantly surprised to see Henry.

"Hey," I said softly. "Did Isla send you out here?"

"She did," He chuckled. "She's worried about you."

"She can be very protective sometimes," I smiled. "But I'm fine, honestly."

Henry moved out of the sun and sat next to me on the wall. Well, he leaned against it while I was perched with my feet dangling.

"Are you sure?"

"It's just annoying," I grumbled, stubbing out my finished cigarette. "It's annoying that men feel like it's okay to act that way and it's annoying that I didn't punch him in the face for touching me."

Henry chuckled at my sulking as I crossed my arms.

"I wouldn't have blamed you if you did," He agreed. "But he looked sufficiently scared when Logan started shouting."

"I think the giant, muscled man choking him with his shirt might have helped too," I smiled. "Thanks for helping me, by the way. How could I ever repay you?"

I held the back of my hand to my forehead in a fake swoon, hoping Henry would see my sincerity through the joke.

"Well, I have a thought about that actually," He smirked. "I've been wanting to go to the zoo ever since I got to the island, but even my nephews have no interest in accompanying me and going by myself seems quite lonely. So, since I'm assuming you've never been, perhaps as a 'thank you' you would like to go with me?"

I was surprised by his proposition, not expecting to get a date out of being manhandled by a drunkard, and stared at him for a moment before I realized he was waiting for an answer.

"Is it a nice zoo?"

It felt like a stupid question as soon as it was out of my mouth, even more so when he tossed his head back laughing, but it was an important question. Some zoos these days had horrible reputations and I didn't want to support a zoo that kept wild animals in cages they could barely even move in.

"The nicest," He assured me. "They do loads of conservation work around the world and really are focused on helping the animals and keeping them happy."

"Okay," I smiled. "Then that sounds lovely."

"Shall we go tomorrow? Or are you working?"

"No, I'm not. So tomorrow sounds great," I agreed before eyeing him suspiciously. "Why is a grown man so eager to go to the zoo?"

Another laugh erupted from Henry as he shook his head at my question.

"You really crack me up," He smiled. "It's a cause I truly believe in so I try to stop by whenever I'm home."

"That's very sweet," I giggled. "But why do I crack you up?"

"I think it's your accent."

His admission drew an indignant sigh from my lips.

"That's not very nice! You should be used to the way us North Americans talk with all the time you must spend in Hollywood."

"I actually don't spend that much time in Hollywood," He smirked. "But I think it's the way you speak so plainly and how you use such a mix of vernacular. Like 'It's a piss take!'."

The last part of his sentence was said in a high-pitched, girly, over the top American accent as he quoted what I'd said earlier in the bar and despite how insulting his impression of me was, I couldn't help but laugh.

"I've lived here for two years! It was unavoidable that I would pick up some of the slang," I defended myself, bumping my shoulder against his. "At least I don't sound like my daddy owns a polo club and I went to school with various members of the royal family."

I did my best fancy British accent and Henry smirked as he fought back a laugh.

"Are you trying to say I'm posh?" He asked, raising an eyebrow when I nodded. "Well you said you came here for the charming British accents so I'm doing my best to provide."

"I appreciate it and really, it is a rather nice accent. You have a nice voice. You should do audio books!"

"Should I?" He chuckled at my suggestion. "I'll keep it in mind if this acting thing doesn't work out."

"Maybe you could read some of my books," I grinned. "I'm sure the middle-aged women would lose their minds for that!"

He smiled and draped his arm around my shoulder, pulling my closer towards him.

"Well maybe if you start writing again, we can collaborate..."

I snuggled in closer to him, enjoying the feeling of his muscles around me.

"Is that a bribe?" I asked, looking up at him as he nodded. "I might need some more romantic inspiration before I'm quite ready to go down that path."

"Oh yeah?"

"Mhmm," I nodded, feeling the earlier tension wash away from me as I basked in the warmth of the sun and his body so close to mine. Perhaps that was why I felt confident enough to let my next statement slip out. "Especially the steamy stuff, I could use a good reminder of how all that goes."

Henry's chest moved as he chuckled at my comment.

"I could only dream to be so lucky to have to the opportunity to help you with that."

My cheeks heated up as Henry shot me a wink and my mind wandered to what his statement implied. I had no witty reply to his flirtatious remark that didn't reveal just how happy I would be to drag him to the bathroom and get that reminder at that very moment so a comfortable silence settled between us. We stayed cuddled up together in the warm sun for a few more minutes before a sigh fell from my lips.

"I should probably get back to work," I said reluctantly. "Isla is probably worried about me since we've been out here so long."

Henry chuckled, but nodded before pushing himself away from the wall and holding out a hand for me to take while I hopped down.

"We'll be here for a while though, alright?" He said it like it was a question, but his tone made it clear that it was a statement. "Any more trouble and we'll be right there."

"Thanks, Henry," I smiled. "I really appreciate that."

I stretched up to kiss his cheek before sneaking back into the kitchen fire exit we were next to and by the time I got out to the front again, Henry was already seated with his brother and Logan where they'd relocated at the bar.  
  
The rest of the shift went by much more smoothly than the morning had, it actually ended up being quite nice. It was still busy and the fans were quite rowdy, but having the familiar faces at the bar helped keep things running smoothly. We had too much to do to really chat with them, but it was nice getting to stare at Henry's handsome face whenever I had a spare moment and to see him in a different setting. So far most of our interactions had been one-on-one so seeing him laughing and joking with his friend and his brother was a nice sight.

He really did seem like a good guy and I couldn't help the little flicker of hope in my stomach that maybe he was someone that was worth letting myself get excited about.


	4. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The First Date: Part One

Sunday morning was a blur of stress and panic. I was excited about my date. I wanted it to go well. Which meant none of my outfits would possibly meet the incredibly high standards I was setting for myself and I had no idea what to do with my hair. I was trying to hide my nerves from Isla, knowing it would give away how much I cared, but as I was on the brink of cancelling due to lack of suitable clothes, I caved and barged into her room.

"Isla! I have a crisis!"

She was on the phone with Joe when I burst through the door, but she wasted no time getting rid of him.

"She finally admitted she needs my help!" She told her boyfriend. "So I gotta go, bye hun. Love you."

She didn't even give him enough time to answer before she'd hung up.

"I have no clothes," I whined. "So now I'm going to have to cancel my date with Superman because he effortlessly dresses like a millionaire and I dress like a slob!"

"Honey, he is a millionaire," She reminded me. "But you are not a slob. You have loads of lovely clothes. Will you let me pick an outfit for you?"

She was asking politely, but every muscle in her body was tense, ready to pounce into my closet if I allowed. I nodded my head, stepping out of her doorway as she squealed and raced towards my room.

Half an hour later, I was sitting in an outfit that Isla had picked while she curled my hair just enough that it fell in loose, beachy waves.

"I look like Wednesday Adams," I fretted, referring to the black pleated skirt and black long sleeve top with a white collar that she had picked. "Also, we're walking around a zoo and it's July. Why am I wearing long sleeves?"

"Because it looks nice," She shrugged. "It's Jersey, it's not that hot and your legs are bare so that will keep you cooler. If you don't like it, I won't be offended if you change."

"No, it's okay," I sighed. "I trust you, I'm just nervous."

As she finished fluffing the last of my waves, my phone pinged with a text.

**"I'm stopping for coffee on my way, what's your order?"**

"Is it from Henry?"

I nodded.

"He wants my coffee order so he can pick it up on his way over."

"That is so sweet," Isla smiled. "Joe would never think to ask me that."

"Because you've been together forever," I reminded her with a roll of my eyes. "He knows what coffee you want before you even do."

Isla giggled and shrugged at my honest answer as I typed a reply to Henry.

**"An americano please. With lots of milk and just one sugar."**

I added some final touches to my light make-up as Isla fawned over me, pleased with her work in getting me ready. Almost half an hour later, my phone pinged with another text letting me know that Henry was outside.

"Okay," I took a deep breath. "I'm going now."

"You're gonna have so much fun," Isla assured me. "And you look hot. Try to relax."

"I will," I smiled. "I'll text you later with an update."

"You better!"

With that, she pushed me out the door and I headed outside.

\--

Henry wasn't hard to spot, leaning against the fanciest car on the street with a coffee in his hand.

"Hey," I smiled. "You sure like to travel in style!"

Henry pulled me in and kissed my cheek before placing the coffee in my hand.

"This is my dad's," He admitted with a smirk. "I have an Aston Martin back in London."

"Ooh, aren't you fancy!" I teased. "I take the bus like the rest of the peasants."

Henry tossed his head back laughing and gently shoved me towards the passenger side of the car.

"Well I am posh," He reminded me. "I have a reputation to uphold."

I laughed as we got in the car before sipping my coffee.

"Thanks for this, by the way."

I gestured to the cup and he waved me off.

"You're more than welcome," He smiled. "I hope I got the milk and sugar right."

"It's great," I assured him. "So how far is this zoo?"

"Only about a twenty minute drive."

"Oh, that's not as far as I thought," I mused as Henry pulled away from the curb. "What kind of animals do they have?"

"Oh, lots of them!" Henry promised, his tone giving away his excitement. "They have orangutans, lemurs, bats, gorillas, bears-"

I gasped, cutting him off.

"I love bears!" I grinned. "Whenever we'd go camping when I was a kid, I'd get in trouble for leaving food out to try and entice them."

Henry laughed, shaking his head.

"That doesn't sound like the best plan," He smiled. "Did it ever work?"

"No," I pouted. "I always got caught and the food was thrown up in a tree as per the park ranger's instructions. I think I'm the only Canadian who's never seen a bear."

"I'm sure there's some city folk who haven't," Henry assured me. "But I'm glad I can help bring your dreams to life."

"I can't wait," I clapped happily, blushing when I realized how childlike my excitement was, but there was a twinkle in Henry's eye that made me think he didn't mind. "So you do a lot of work for this charity?"

"I wouldn't say 'a lot'," Henry confessed. "But as much as I can. I try to raise awareness and, scheduling permitting, I do the Durrell Challenge every year."

"What's the Durrell Challenge?"

"It's a 13k race around the island. Every runner raises money for the charity," He explained. "I try to encourage people to sign up or donate and people who raise a certain amount of money win the chance to have their picture taken with me."

"Wow, that is quite a tempting prize."

My words were teasing and Henry swatted my shoulder as he laughed.

"Tempting enough to get you signed up for the race next year?"

I snorted a laugh as I frantically shook my head.

"Sorry, but no," I apologized. "It would take a hell of a lot to make me run 13k. My life would practically have to be in danger for me to run to the end of a block."

"You look like you're in good shape though."

"I do try to stay fit," I shrugged. "I'm just not a runner. I do yoga quite often, pilates if I'm feeling particularly energetic and I do like to walk instead of taking the bus if the weather is nice, but there's something about running that kills my soul. Thirty seconds in and I'm ready to lay down and die and never move again."

"It's not my favourite either," He admitted, smiling at my dramatics. "I can pound out a workout in the gym lifting weights without batting an eye, but I always have to really force myself to run. I find there's a much better way to get a good cardio workout in."

"Like what?" I asked, curiously not quite catching his meaning right away. As soon as he shot me a wink though, I clued in and playfully rolled my eyes. "Wow, what a dirty mind you have, Mr. Cavill."

"It's true!" Henry chuckled, ready to defend his naughty suggestion. "I have to do thirty minutes of fasted cardio a day when I'm training and you can't argue that getting out of bed and running on a treadmill is more enticing than burning a few calories in the bedroom."

"Alright, I have to agree with you there," I smirked. "Plus, I think it would be pretty hard to let you get out of my bed once I got you in it."

"Well, I don't have to start training for another few months so I think we could work something out..."

I giggled, enjoying the thought of spending every morning curled up in bed with Henry and felt my heart swell as he reached over and held my hand as he drove. I absent-mindedly stroked the back of his hand with my thumb, thinking about how easy it felt to be around him. He was so down to earth and adorable, nothing like how you would picture most celebrities in Hollywood. He seemed just like a normal guy. A nice, very attractive, charming guy with muscles the size of my head and a smile that made my knees weak.

\--

The drive to the zoo wasn't long as Henry had promised. About twenty minutes later we arrived and I felt the excitement bubbling up inside me as I looked at the gates of the zoo.

"I love animals," I confessed, walking around the car to join Henry as he slipped on a baseball hat and some sunglasses in an attempt to disguise himself at least a little. "So this is probably my dream date."

"I'm pleased to hear that," He smiled as he reached out for my hand once again. "It's been a long time since I had the pleasure of taking someone here for the first time so I'm excited as well."

"Really? This isn't your go to first date?"

"Only for the ones I'm really trying to impress."

Henry shot me another wink as we walked towards the gates. There was a man at the desk, clearly selling tickets, but Henry just flashed him a pass and he waved us through.

"I'm a member," He explained as we entered the park and I resisted the urge to run up to the map and figure out where would be the best place to start. Henry had that covered though. "Now, I'm fine with any suggestions you have, but I think the best way to go would be to the left. That will take us to the lemurs first then we can loop around past the monkeys, the orangutans and the gorillas before we end up at the bears at the end."

I was a bit disappointed that the bears were so close yet, with Henry's plan, so far, but I was an adult and could control myself so I nodded.

"Sounds perfect," I agreed. "Save the best for last and all that."

"Exactly," He grinned. "You're going to love this place."

We headed off down the path, our hands swinging between us. 

"So, are you an expert?" I asked, peering up at him as the dusty path crinkled under our feet. "Since you do so much work with the organization and you're a member, will I come away from today educated thoroughly?"

"I wouldn't say I'm an expert," Henry warned me with a smirk. "But I do have a good basic knowledge and I did adopt a bat and a gorilla family."

I stopped walking for a minute, catching Henry by surprise. He turned to face me and was met with a suspicious glare.

"Are you secretly a serial killer?"  
  
He chuckled and shook his head.

"No, why?"

"Because there has to be something wrong with you," I explained. "You're funny, you're nice, you're charming, you're attractive, you adopt endangered animals. I'm pretty those are all things they warn you about serial killers, things they do to lull you into a false sense of security."

"I thought serial killers killed animals?"

He asked his question with a smirk and playfully tugged on my hand to make me start walking again.

"Small animals, like cats," I shrugged. "Adopting endangered species would be for show, to impress women and make them trust you."

"Ah, so I've impressed you!"

He grinned as a blush covered my cheeks.

"I didn't say that!" I protested with a laugh. "But I do think it's sweet. It's nice to see someone use their privilege to do something good for the world."

"I try," Henry smiled. "And it's nice that I'm in a position where I can give back to somewhere that I spent a lot of happy times in my childhood."

"Did you come here a lot?"

"Quite often," He nodded. "It was definitely a favourite of mine and my brothers' and I think my mum liked that we could run around and burn off some energy without getting into too much trouble."

"I could think of a few ways you could get in trouble," I raised an eyebrow. "Like climbing into a bear or gorilla habitat for example."

"Fair point," Henry laughed. "But we were smarter than that. Plus my oldest brother is quite a bit older than me so I think she felt confident that he would pull me out before I was bear food."

"How many brothers do you have?" I asked, realizing that while I'd told him about my siblings, he had only mentioned Charlie.

"I am one of five," He informed me. "I'm the second youngest and my eldest brother is ten years older."

"Wow! Your mother must be a very strong woman to deal with all that testosterone."

Henry laughed, but nodded his head.

"She's amazing. She's truly one of the strongest women I know and I think she did pretty well raising us," He told me proudly. "We're all pretty caring and loving, considerate of other people. We're all quite close and I think that's down to her influence."

"That's really sweet," I smiled. "She sounds lovely."

Henry nodded with a fond smile as we approached the first exhibit and I gasped with excitement.

"Theses are the lemurs," He explained. "They're from Madagascar and that's the only place they live in the wild which is why they're under threat."

"I know they're from Madagascar, I've seen the movie," I giggled, earning a questioning look from Henry that made me embarrassed for bringing it up. "You know, the cartoon! The zoo animals end up in Madagascar and the king of the lemurs sings that song, 'I like to move it, move it!'."  
  
Henry threw his head back laughing at my small demonstration of the song and I rolled my eyes, despite my bright red cheeks. 

"You must be a bad uncle if you haven't seen that movie."

"I can't say that I have!" Henry chuckled. "I'll have to ask Thomas about it when I get home. It sounds like something that would be right up his alley."

"You're missing out," I insisted before turning my attention back to the enclosure where there were a few lemurs running about, playing with each other. We watched them for a moment before I noticed something. "Oh, look! That man is feeding them!"

"Yeah..." Henry rubbed the back of his neck, looking sheepish. "They have a program where you can assist the zookeepers for the day. I looked into it for today, but you have to book it a few weeks in advance. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry," I shrugged. "I'm happy just to see the animals. That's such a cool idea though."

"It is," Henry nodded. "They're really big on education here. They want people to understand these animals so they can really help them."

"This is a nice zoo," I confirmed what he'd promised the day before as I bumped his shoulder with mine playfully. "Good choice on the charity you support, babe."

The word slipped out in the teasing affectionate way I used it with many people I know. Friends, colleagues, acquaintances. But I saw a twinkle appear in Henry's eye and I knew I was in for trouble.

"Did you just call me _babe_?"

"Sarcastically!"

My clarification did nothing to erase the smirk on his face.

"Oh, sure it was," He teased. "It's okay, darling."

I rolled my eyes even though there was a smile on my face and walked away from him, crossing my arms as I pretended to sulk. This only seemed to encourage him though as his laugh followed me.

"Don't walk away, honey!" He shouted to me. "I'm just joking, sweetheart, really!"

His overuse of various pet names made me throw my middle finger up at him behind my back as I continued to walk away, giggling slightly as I heard his footsteps jogging after me as I half-heartedly tried to escape him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first date was originally going to be one long chapter, but it was getting too long and taking ages to write.  
> I'm trying to update at least every couple of days so I figured I'd split it into two and post the first part now! Part two should be up Thursday or Friday!


	5. Chapter Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The First Date: Part Two

We took our time walking around the rest of the zoo. We saw the monkeys, the orangutans, Henry's adopted bat, his gorilla family and many other animals that I was delighted to watch and learn about. Henry had definitely downplayed his knowledge and I had learned plenty of new facts about these animals, loving the enthusiasm with which he spoke about them and the charity.

It was warmer than I think Isla had anticipated when she picked my outfit though so about half way around the park, I cursed her choice of long sleeves. I'd had to sheepishly explain that I needed help picking my outfit for the day because I was anxious to impress him which earned a laugh.

_"You didn't need to worry about impressing me," He'd smiled when I told him. "You've looked lovely every time I've seen you."_

_"Even when I was at work, wearing a boring old t-shirt and covered in beer?" I asked, lifting my hair up so that I could feel the breeze on the back of my neck as he nodded. "Well, darn. I shouldn't have tried so hard then."_

_Henry chuckled as he glanced down at me and paused slightly before pulling out his phone._

_"Smile!"_

I stared at him confused for a moment before realizing he'd snapped a [picture](https://66.media.tumblr.com/4a02d2e6ae93f824cd5ddbfa563d2f33/2237a649d5502f29-21/s540x810/508d7b92fccc565b722c5db138d2a00a096fe387.jpg).

I'd insisted he delete it immediately, but he'd refused and pocketed his phone before I could snatch it and delete it myself.

Time flew by and even though I was getting a bit tired from all the walking in the heat, I was excited and ready to see the main attraction, the bears.

I quickly dipped into a nearby bathroom when I spotted one next to the bear enclosure and when I came back, I was surprised to see Henry talking to a zookeeper. I assumed they just knew each other from the work Henry had done for the zoo, but a mischievous smile slid onto his face as I walked over and my curiosity was piqued.

"Jenny, this is Aubrey," Henry introduced me once I was by his side again. "Aubrey, this is Jenny. She's the bear keeper. I know I said that I wasn't able to book the zookeeper experience, but I did manage to pull a few strings."

I felt my heart rate sky rocket as I began to imagine what exactly he meant by that. It seemed like he was saying that I was about to meet some bears, but I didn't want to get my hopes up if that wasn't the case. I realized I was standing there with my jaw dropped as they watched me and tried to pull myself together.

"What strings would those be, Mr. Cavill?"

He grinned at my question and glanced at Jenny who filled in the blanks.

"How would you like to get to know a few of our little bears?"

"Oh my god," I gasped, trying desperately to hold in a squeal of joy. "That would be amazing!"

Henry laughed at my excitement as I instantly grabbed his hand, squeezing it tightly to show my appreciation.

"Let's go then!"

Jenny walked a few steps ahead of us as we headed off the main path to the back of the enclosure. I clung to Henry with a slight desperation as I tried to wrap my head around how this was even happening.

"So, the bears we have here are Andean bears," Jenny explained as she unlocked a door and let us through before locking it behind her. "They're vulnerable so that's basically a step down from being officially endangered, but the dry forests in the Andes where they live is being constantly cut down to make room for agricultural land and oil extraction so they're constantly being pushed closer and closer to extinction."

I felt a little pang of sympathy in my heart for the bears as I was well aware how humans affected their habitat. It was a constant issue in Canada of cities expanding and taking away their homes and then being surprised when they wandered into town looking for food.

"Humans are the worst," I sighed, sadly. "It seems like we're the problem for most of these little guys."

Henry nodded in agreement as Jenny led us over to a little fenced area that led to the outside.

"That's very true," She agreed. "Especially since these bears are also hunted, even though it's illegal, for their meat, their fat and even their claws."

"That's horrible."

Henry squeezed my hand, sensing how bummed out I was getting.

"These bears are very well protected though."

His assurance was met with a nod from Jenny who picked up a bucket.

"They absolutely are and they're spoiled rotten," She smiled. "Wait here for a minute."

She opened the fence and went through, poking her head out the door that led into the enclosure. She whistled and banged the bucket for a moment before coming back to our side of the fence. I waited with bated breath for what was coming and practically had to fight back tears as a little face peeked around the door frame, followed by another that was almost halfway on top of his friend in his hurry to get to the treats.

"This is Lulu and Jasper," Jenny informed us. "They were the only two I could see out there. They have a pretty big enclosure so the others must be off adventuring."

"They're so sweet," I cooed as they walked towards the fence, huffing and chuffing as they sniffed out the promised food. "Oh my gosh, how could anyone hunt them?"

"It's hard to believe," Henry agreed, smiling as the bigger of the two, probably Jasper, stretched up onto his back legs placing his big paws on the floor to ceiling fence. 

"'Be patient," Jenny rolled her eyes at the bear as he let out a little growl. "Would you like to feed him?"

"Me?!"

It came out as more of a squeal than I'd intended and the smaller bear flinched slightly. Jenny laughed and nodded.

"Both of you!" She reached into the bucket and pulled out a little ball. "This is their favourite treat. It's mostly bamboo hearts with some fruit and honey."

She handed it to me and I took it, unsure of what I was supposed to do next. Picking up on my hesitation, she explained while she handed one to Henry.

"There's a little slot in the fence just there," She pointed off to the side where there was a larger gap than the rest of the links in the fence. "Just stick your hand through and they'll come running over."

Henry made a face at her instructions.

"They won't bite us, will they?"

"Definitely not," Jenny assured us. "Even in the wild Andean bears are really tame around people. They only get aggressive if they have cubs nearby, but there's only been one human death reported by these bears in the wild and, of course, these ones are particularly tame. You could walk right in and they wouldn't hurt you, but we do try to keep their human interaction at a low level so they stay wild animals like they are meant to be."

"That makes sense."

Henry stayed back, asking a few more questions as I eagerly went over to the gap in the fence. I pushed up my sleeve before sticking my hand through, immediately getting Jasper's attention. He hopped down from where he was standing and galloped over before taking the treat off my hand with no hesitation.

"Awwe," I giggled as he continued to lick and sniff my hand, hoping for more food. "Aren't you just the sweetest guy?"

Henry appeared by my side and stuck his hand through the gap as well. Jasper instantly tried to move his snout over to the new treat that had appeared, but I tried to hold it back.

"Let your friend have some," I scolded as Lulu shyly came over. She wasn't fast enough though and Jasper ducked around my hand, snatching the treat. I couldn't help, but giggle as I shook my head. "That wasn't very nice!"

"It's a dog-eat-dog world," Henry chuckled as Jenny appeared, letting us take more treats from the bucket before using that bucket to lure Jasper away so Lulu could have a chance to greet us.

"Speaking of dogs," I smiled as Lulu took the treat from my hand in a much calmer and more delicate way than the male bear had done. "Jasper reminds me of Kal."

"He does," Henry agreed, scratching the ears of the little bear that had just eaten from his hand. "Funnily enough, I probably call Kal 'Bear' more than I call him his real name."

"Awe, that's cute," I giggled. "You should have brought him, they could have been friends."

Henry laughed, shaking his head.

"I don't know about that one," He disagreed. "I think Kal has too much energy for these docile little creatures. He'd drive them insane."

"I think they could stand up for themselves!"

Henry shrugged with a chuckle as I smiled, leaning against his arm as we watched Lulu wander over to her friend to see if he'd found more snacks. We spent another half an hour just watching them and learning about their way of life before we had to say goodbye. My heart felt so full that I thought it might burst and as soon as we'd parted ways with Jenny and were back on the main path, I threw my arms around Henry. He clearly wasn't expecting it, but his strong frame barely even moved from the impact as his arms wrapped around my waist.

"Thank you so much," I breathed against his neck, trying not to get distracted by how good he smelt. "That was one of the best things I've ever done."

"I'm glad I was able to make it happen for you."

He pressed a kiss to the side of my head before I pulled back slightly. I was standing on my toes due to our height difference, but with my hand on the back of his neck I gently pulled his head down towards me as I settled flat on my feet. He smiled down at me, our faces inches apart as I settled my other hand on his bicep, feeling his muscle tense as he held me close to his body. The sunglasses that he'd put on earlier had been shifted to sit above the brim of his baseball hat while we were inside so I glanced between his eyes and his lips, feeling a tension settle between us. I was just about to take the plunge and connect our lips when he made the first move. 

I melted into his embrace as he kissed me, my grip instinctively tightening on him. I angled my head to avoid knocking his hat off as our lips moved together effortlessly. His arms around me, his body against mine, his scent surrounding me. I was overwhelmed, but at the same time, I couldn't get enough. I wanted more, I needed more, but as he brushed his tongue against my lips, I remembered where we were. I pulled back slightly, my breathing heavy and my lips plump.

"There's kids around," I informed him, earning a smirk. "We should cool it a bit."

"Unfortunately, you're probably right..." He pressed one last soft kiss against my lips before releasing the grip that he had on me. "What shall we do now? Do you have plans or shall we have dinner?"

"I left my whole day free for you," I smiled, suddenly getting an idea. "We could go back to my place? I have a bottle of wine and we could order takeaway. Isla's at her aunt and uncle's for dinner tonight so we'll have some privacy."

"That sounds perfect," Henry agreed, taking my hand once again as we walked out of the park.

\--

We spent most of the drive back to town discussing the bears and what we'd learnt about them. Well, I was discussing, Henry was mostly listening to me with an amused smile on his face. A smile that turned into a laugh as I gasped and practically begged him to adopt Lulu and Jasper the next time he wanted to do something to support the charity.

"I'll have to think about that, I'll have adopted the whole zoo soon if I'm not careful," He teased. "But I am genuinely thrilled that you enjoyed it so much."

"It was amazing," I grinned. "I honestly can't thank you enough." 

"You don't need to thank me," Henry waved me off as we pulled into his driveway. "The parking by your place is a bit hit and miss so I figured we'd drop the car here, say hi to Kal and then walk over to yours? We could pick up the food on the way."

"That sounds perfect," I nodded. "It's not far."

"I remember," He smiled as he pulled into a garage.

We got out of the car and I followed him through a door into the house. Instantly the sound of kids screaming playfully hit us as well as a deep bark and the jingle of a collar.

"We won't stay long," He assured me. "But brace yourself."

I smiled, enjoying the sounds of a well lived in family home and followed him through to the living room. It was a huge room which was to be expected in a house of this size, with high ceilings, which was great considering how high the two little boys were bouncing on the couch as Kal whined, a scowl on his little face.

"Boys!" Henry barked, immediately going into uncle mode and getting their attention. They stopped jumping instantly and looked over at us. "Should you be bouncing on the couch like that?"

"No," The younger one said, looking guilty. "But it was Jack's idea!"

His little Canadian accent gave away that they were Charlie's kids as the older one shoved his little brother in annoyance, sending him flying off the couch. Kal yelped and jumped out of the way, running over to us just in time to avoid being landed on. Of course, that's when the tears started and Henry shot me an apologetic look as he clearly hadn't intended for this to be what we walked into.

I squatted down to pet Kal who was whining and grunting as if he was telling me all about how horrible the kids were being as Henry went over to his nephew, scooping him up off the floor.

"Jack, you shouldn't have pushed your brother," He scolded. "But this is why we don't bounce around on the furniture! Because someone will always get hurt."

That was the moment that an older woman walked in, looking exasperated. It was clearly his mother and I shrank down behind Kal, feeling a bit intimidated at the thought of meeting a man's mother on the first date.

"Thank God, you're home," She sighed. "They've been nothing, but trouble all day!"

Henry frowned as the boys looked sheepish.

"Well I won't be here for long," Henry informed her as his nephew hid his face in his neck making my heart pang at the cuteness. "I just dropped dad's car off and came in to see Kal, but we're going for dinner."

At his use of the word we, his mother's eyes snapped over to Kal as she realized there was another person in the room. I stood up and smiled, waving awkwardly.

"Oh my goodness, I didn't even see you there, darling!" She fretted, rushing over and pulling me into a hug. "You must be Aubrey!"

I wondered for a moment how much Henry had told her about me, but I smiled and nodded.

"Mum, this is Aubrey," Henry confirmed. "Aubrey, this is my mother."

"It's lovely to meet you, Mrs. Cavill."

"Oh please," She waved me off. "Marianne is fine. How was your day at the zoo?"

A grin burst onto my face, but before I could tell her just how amazing it was, a little voice interrupted.

"You went to the zoo?" The little boy in Henry's arms pouted as he rubbed his teary eyes. "I wanted to go to the zoo!"

My jaw dropped and as I turned to look at Henry whose cheeks were suddenly a bit pink.

"Well isn't that interesting?" I smirked. "Henry told me that no one else wanted to go to the zoo with him..."

Henry put his protesting nephew down before striding quickly across the room.

"We should really be going before someone gets me into trouble," He smiled, pausing to kiss his mother's cheek. "But you boys be good for your Nana, alright? Your dad won't be happy to hear you've not been on your best behaviour!"

The boys murmured promises of being good as I quickly said goodbye to Henry's mom before he pulled me out the door. Kal tried to follow us, but Henry quickly gave him a little scratch behind the ears before making him stay put.

"So it was all a ruse, huh?" I teased once we were away from the house. "You weren't a sad, lonely man who needed someone to accompany him to the zoo?"

"No," He smirked, shaking his head. "Just a man who was very nervous about asking a beautiful woman on a date and thought a sob story might help convince her."

"I didn't need convincing," I smiled. "You're pretty handsome, I would have given you a shot."

Henry laughed as he reached for my hand again. It almost seemed like a habit now whenever we were walking together.

"That's good to know."

A silence settled between us for a moment before I spoke again.

"You're really good with your nephews."

"I try," He smiled at my observation. "Jack and Thomas, the two naughty ones you just saw, I don't get to see as much since they live in Canada, but I try to make an effort to see them whenever I can. Even my other nephews I don't see as much as I like even though they live here, but it's easier to stay in touch these days with FaceTime and all that."

"I know what you mean," I nodded. "I'd hate the thought of my nieces and nephews forgetting who I am since I'm so far away."

"How many do you have?"

"Just three. Two nephews and a niece," I smiled proudly. "What about you?"

"Nine," Henry wrinkled his nose. "Everyone has at least one child except me so with four brothers it adds up fast."

"Oh my god," I laughed. "How on earth do you keep track of them all?"

"It's hard," He admitted. "It feels like it's always someone's birthday and our family get togethers are quite the event. Actually, we're having a barbecue on Wednesday at the beach. It's Charlie and the boy's last day here and it's supposed to be scorching hot so it's a good excuse to get everyone together. You can come if you'd like to."

"Wow," I giggled. "So you introduce me to your mother on the first date and want to introduce me to your entire family on the second? You're not planning on proposing soon, are you?"

Henry rolled his eyes, but another blush covered his cheeks.

"It's not like that," He assured me. "There will be lots of people there. Logan and his family are coming, I think he said he was going to invite you and Isla anyway."

"I'm just teasing," I smiled, nudging his shoulder gently with mine. "I'll have to check if I'm working, but it sounds like fun."

Henry leaned down and kissed the top of my head as we walked the short distance into town to find something to eat.

\--

We'd decided on pizza in the end as it was the first place we saw. Once we got back to my place, I poured us some wine and we settled on the couch as I pulled Netflix up on the TV. Henry had insisted that we could watch whatever I wanted, but I could see the regret on his face as he saw what I had settled on. Mission Impossible: Fallout.

"Really?" He laughed, wiping his mouth on a napkin. "There was nothing that I'm not in that tickled your fancy?"

"Nope," I giggled. "This is just what I'm in the mood for. I've never seen it and I've heard good things."

Henry rolled his eyes, but didn't protest any more as I pressed play. We ate in silence as the movie started. In typical Mission Impossible format, it was gripping from the start and had my attention since I really hadn't seen it. I'd just finished my last slice of pizza and put my plate on the table, sitting back on the couch with my legs curled under me and my wine glass in my hand when Henry appeared on the screen.

"Oooh," I smirked. "Look at that 'stache!"

"I know," Henry laughed. "It was awful."

"No, it wasn't," I insisted, despite the giggle that slipped out. "I think you pulled it off quite well!"

"Hardly," He raised an eyebrow. "I looked like I probably own a creepy van and shouldn't be left near children's playgrounds unsupervised."

I snorted a laugh, but shook my head.

"I think it makes you look distinguished and powerful."

"I can be distinguished and powerful without a mustache."

"True," I shrugged as Henry put his own plate next to mine. "But you're just not as sexy without it."

He barked a laugh and before I could even blink, he'd wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me towards him in a playful headlock. The hand holding my wine glass shot out to the side, trying to keep it out of the way as I protested through my laughter.

"Henry, my wine!" I squealed as he messed up my hair. "Spilling wine is an unforgivable sin in this household so please be careful!"

He stopped moving, but kept my head in his grasp.

"Do you take back what you said?"

"Yes!" I laughed, trying to wiggle free. "You're very sexy even without your mustache!"

He chuckled and let me go, but my body had shifted when he grabbed me so we were now cuddled up together and, testing the waters, I didn't move away. He left his arm draped over my shoulders as well so I took it as a sign that he didn't mind the closeness.

"God," I sighed, smirking as I tried to fix my hair that he had disheveled. "Someone has a fragile ego."

Henry growled and his hand that wasn't tucked around me, crept over to tickle my waist. I squealed again, writhing against him as I shouted apologies until he stopped. 

We watched the rest of the movie peacefully and by the time we were done, the bottle of wine was empty. I rather enjoyed wine so my tolerance was fairly good and I was just a bit tipsy, but it was nice. I'd grown quite comfortable around Henry throughout the day, but it never hurt to have a little liquid courage. Especially as his hands had wandered once or twice, caressing my side or absent-mindedly stroking my thigh. His touches were more than welcome, but it had been a while since I'd been in this kind of situation with a man and my confidence wasn't what it used to be.

"That was actually a good movie," I smiled, as his hand rested on my thigh. "I've never seen any of the Mission Impossible movies, but I can see the hype."

"So you've never seen any, but you were just dying to watch this one?" Henry clarified as I nodded with a smirk. "Something tells me that you just wanted to stare at my face for a couple of hours."

"I've been staring at your face all day," I scoffed. "It's not that nice to look at."

I was clearly being sarcastic, but Henry dramatically rolled his eyes before his hands went straight to my waist again. He must've realized it was a weak point for me when he'd tickled me earlier so he tried it again, but this time with much more force. I squealed and giggled wildly, wiggling and squirming to get away, but the way we were curled up together led to me not getting away, but rather ending up on his lap.

He stopped tickling as soon as I was straddling him, a smile on both of our faces as our chests heaved from all the laughter. The air around us seemed to shift as we stared at each other for a moment before Henry's head dipped forward and pressed his lips against mine. Our previous kisses had started off slow, but this one was passionate from the start. All the tension from a day of flirting poured out as I let my hands tangle in his hair, his fingers gripping my waist like he was scared I was going to leap away at any moment.

His tongue pressed against my lips and, unlike earlier, I parted them, feeling my hips instinctively press against him as if I needed to be as close to him as possible. I let my hands wander, feeling his shirt tight against his muscles before quickly and impatiently moving them to the hem. I slid them under, grazing the soft skin of his stomach as his muscles quivered under my touch before pulling his shirt up swiftly and over his head. I pulled back to appreciate the view and couldn't hold back the groan that slipped out at the sight of the sculpted man in front of me.

"What the fuck, how are you even real?" I mumbled, earning a smug raise of an eyebrow from Henry. "Just so you know, I don't look like that..."

I gestured to his chest and he looked down before meeting my eyes with a smirk.

"I would hope not," He teased. "I'm very flat chested."

I laughed and let my hand run down his chest, feeling his soft hair under my hand.

"I'm just saying," I clarified. "Don't be disappointed when I'm not some chiseled model with perfect tits under this shirt."

Henry's brow furrowed. At first I thought it was disappointment on his face, but then I realized it was concern.

"You're gorgeous."

He kissed me again before any more protests could be said and his hand slowly slid up the back of my shirt. I felt him slide his hands up a bit higher, but before he could get my shirt past my bra, I heard a gasp by the door.

"Oh my god," Isla squeaked, covering her eyes as Henry and I pulled our lips apart. "I'm so sorry!"

"It's okay, I'm the one who should be sorry," I admitted, sheepishly. "We'll take this to my room."

"Well I would prefer it if you didn't have sex on the couch," She smirked. "Be safe!"

With that she scurried away, leaving Henry and I red-faced on the couch.

"I'm so sorry," I apologized. "She usually gets home later than this when she goes to see her family."

"It's fine," He smiled reassuringly. "But what's this you mentioned about a bedroom?"

I giggled as I reluctantly climbed off Henry's lap and led the way to my bedroom. It was tiny, just enough space for a double bed, a dresser and a wardrobe, but it was all I needed for the summer and right now the bed was all I cared about. I sat down on the edge of the bed, leaning back on my elbows as Henry closed the door.

"Nice room," He smiled, walking over and sitting next to me.

"It's shit," I laughed. "But it has what we need."

"That it does..."

Before I could say anything else, Henry rolled his body on top of mine, pushing me up the bed until my legs weren't hanging over the side.

"Now where were we before we got interrupted?" He pondered, his lips just inches from my own. "Ah, yes. I remember!"

He slipped his hands under my shirt and pushed it over my head. I was nervous, scared he would react badly to my much softer body, but as he tossed my shirt to the side and his eyes roamed over me with a hunger that hadn't been there before, I felt empowered and sexy for the first time in a long time. He was quick to reattach our lips as his hands wandered my newly exposed skin. I shivered at his gentle touch and he groaned as his hand cupped my breast.

My bra suddenly felt suffocatingly tight and I arched my back up against him, moving my hands underneath to unhook the clasp. He wasted no time sliding the straps down my shoulders and tossing it the way of my shirt.

"Absolutely gorgeous," Henry murmured as he looked at me for a moment before diving back in, this time settling his lips on my neck.

My skirt bunched up as he settled his hips between my legs that wrapped around him and his lips led a tortuous path down towards my now bare chest. My nipples were rock hard by the time he reached them and I was sure he could feel my heart pounding in anxious anticipation. I let out a soft moan as his lips captured my nipple in his mouth and his hand gently tweaked the other. It was a sensitive area for me and after barely a few minutes of his focused attention I was writhing beneath him, pressing my hips against him for friction. I could feel how much he was enjoying it as well and tried to bring my brain back into action enough to get my hands to his belt.

He reluctantly paused the attention he was giving my nipples and looked up at me, a smirk on his face as he stopped my hands.

"Now, now," He scolded. "Be patient."

I wasn't patient at the best of times and definitely wasn't eager to start now, but his grip on my hand was firm and commanding and all I could do was whimper in protest. He smirked at my needy response and set his lips back to work, clearly aware of how wild it was driving me, but his hand didn't return to its previous spot. Instead, it snaked up my thigh, teasing the edge of my underwear. The touch was so soft that I thought I was imagining it until his hand shifted slightly and rubbed me through the material of my underwear. I gasped at the sensation, but as Henry adjusted, searching for just the right spot, I couldn't help, but moan when he found it.

My hands gripped his shoulders as the sensations began to overwhelm me. He let out a soft groan against my nipple and the vibrations made my hips press desperately up against his hand. Sensing what I needed, he increased the the friction just a bit and I felt the pressure building quickly. I moved my hip in sync with his fingers and before even I was expecting it, I tossed my head back, gasping for breath as my release hit me.

My nails dug into Henry's shoulders so hard they would surely leave marks, but I couldn't think straight enough to care. It wasn't until I began to come down from the high that I felt a bit embarrassed, like a teenage boy who finished before things had started. Especially since he hadn't even properly touched me yet.

"It's, uh, been a while," I explained, feeling my cheeks heat up.

"Oh? And here I was thinking I was just particularly talented," He smirked up at me. "How do you feel?"

"Amazing," I smiled lazily. "But like I really need to get this skirt off..."

Henry grinned before pulling my skirt and underwear off with one quick tug. Once they were out of the way, he stood up to remove his own pants. I watched, feeling my heart speed up again at the sight in front of me. He was a work of art. His thigh muscles were thick and strong and I watched with bated breath as he pulled his boxers down slowly, letting his hard cock free. I wasn't surprised by his size, considering the size of the rest of him, but I was impressed to say the least. 

He smirked as I stared at him, taking it all in, resisting the urge to pinch myself to see if perhaps I was dreaming and not about to have sex with possibly the most attractive man in the universe. His voice snapped me out of my thoughts though, bringing me back to reality.

"Do you have a condom?"

I nodded, clearing my throat as my mouth had suddenly gone dry.

"Top drawer," I nodded towards my dresser. 

He quickly reached over and dug one out before sliding it on himself slowly, his head dropping to his chest as he finally got some attention where his body needed it most. I moaned softly at the sight and reached for him, needing his skin against mine again. He happily obliged and crawled on top of me, pressing his lips against mine as he rubbed against my entrance. I pressed my hips up eagerly and felt him smile against my lips before slowly pressing forward.

I wasn't lying when I said it had been a while, and he was decently bigger than anyone I'd been with before, so it stung slightly as he slipped inside, but I adjusted quickly and the friction soon became delightfully pleasant.

"You're so tight," He groaned, burying his face in my neck. "Is this okay?"

He moved his hips away slowly before pressing them back in and I moaned at the sensation.

"Yes," I breathed out, wrapped my legs tightly around him. "Move, Henry, please."

I didn't have to ask twice as he began to thrust his hips at a much quicker pace. My hips matched his as I clung to him for dear life. His lips teased my neck as he grunted and moaned softly against it and I twitched beneath him as he angled his hips, hitting just the right spot.

"Fuck," I gasped. "Right there."

Henry pulled back before pressing back in harder than before, smirking as I let out a moan from the sensation.

"There?" He teased, doing it again. "God, you feel amazing."

"Faster."

I'd meant to sound confident and commanding, but it came out as a whimper. He did as I asked though, picking up the pace a bit more as I ground my hips against him with each thrust, desperate for more friction. I could feel the pressure building again and as Henry's thrusts grew more sloppy and less precise, I knew he was feeling it too. I scratched my nails softly down his back as he nipped at my neck and with a few more quick, hard thrusts I felt myself come undone around him. My back arched as I moaned, pulling him towards me with my legs as he kept going through my orgasm. I felt myself clenching around him and it didn't take long before he thrust inside me once more before stilling, a deep guttural groan filling my ears as he reached his own peak.

We stayed clinging to each other for a few moments as we fought to catch our breath before Henry rolled off of me, disposing of the condom in the bin in the corner while I shifted, pulling myself up to lay on the bed properly. Once he was settled back beside me, I scooted over, resting my head on his chest.

"I thought toe curling orgasms were just a myth," I sighed happily. "But clearly I've just been missing out."

I felt Henry's chest move as he chuckled.

"I'm happy to help," He smiled as he stroked my shoulder with his thumb. "That was...quite something."

"In a good way I hope," I murmured as I pressed a kiss to his hairy chest, feeling it damp with sweat.

"Absolutely."

He pressed a kiss to the top of my head and we laid in silence for a moment. I was working up the courage to ask if he wanted to stay the night, but wasn't sure I was ready to ruin the bliss I was feeling if he turned me down. When I finally blurted it out, I was pleased with his response.

"If you'll have me," He smiled down at me as I turned my face to peer up at him. "I don't think I could make it home even if I wanted to."

"Good," I stretched up to kiss him softly. "Because I wasn't really planning on letting you go."

He chuckled quietly and I shifted away from him for just long enough to pull the blankets out from under us so we could settle underneath them. Once we were covered, I curled up against him once again and, with my head on his chest, I fell into the best sleep I'd had in a long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got a bit carried away with this chapter, I was hoping to have it up yesterday, but it kept going and going and I figured it was best to not cut it short just to get it posted sooner!  
> Thank you so much to everyone who's given kudos and left comments! It means so much to me to know people are enjoying this story! :)  
> As you may have noticed from the picture linked in this chapter, Ana de Armas is the face claim I have for Aubrey. That's just my personal image though so let me know if you'd prefer that I don't add in pictures like that so everyone can just picture her how they like? I just know I always find it interesting so I thought I'd throw it in!


	6. Chapter Six

"Ugh, I can't do it!" Isla groaned, jerking her side of the cooler that we were carrying as it almost slipped from her hands. "It's too heavy!"

"It's not that bad," I grumbled, getting annoyed that she was spending more time whining than actually focusing on our task. "It's not far now, just keep going."

We were heading towards Henry's family barbecue and the cooler that we were carrying was filled with our beverages for the day. We'd gotten a ride with Logan and his parents, but the walk from the parking lot to the beach was still a decent trek and the cooler was not light. It wasn't as bad as Isla was making it out to be though and it wasn't hard to see that I was doing most of the work.

"You two are pathetic," Logan laughed as he walked beside us, carrying a simple case of beer in his arms. "I've never seen anyone make such hard work of an easy task."

"Why don't we trade then?" I suggested. "You can try to help your weak-ass cousin carry this thing and I'll take that tiny case of beer."

"Ha, no thank you," He smirked. "You volunteered."

"Well now I regret it," I pouted, groaning in pain as Isla jerked the heavy container once again. "For fucks sake, Isla. Stop tossing it around!"

"I'm trying my best," She whined. "Are we almost there?"

Before Logan or one of his parents could answer the question, we staggered around a corner to see a beautiful beach in front of us. Henry had been right about it being a scorching hot day and as soon as we were out from the shade of the trees the heat was intense. Unfortunately, this just made Isla more unhappy.

"Oh my god, it's so hot!"

The discomfort I was also feeling in carrying the heavy cooler mixed with the sudden addition of the sun was making my patience very thin and I stopped for a moment, lowering my end of the cooler to the ground.

"I swear to god, Isla," I warned her. "If you don't stop whining, I'm going to drown you in the ocean."

Logan howled with laughter as Isla huffed indignantly.

"You know I'm not very strong, Bree!" She protested. "It's hard work."

"I know it is," I sympathized. "But if we whine less and walk faster, it will be over much sooner."

There was a short rocky area before the sandy beach where a large group of people, presumably Henry and his family, were sitting and Logan's parents were half-way across it before they realized we weren't behind them.

"Come on, girls!" His dad shouted, getting the attention of most of the group. "It's not far now."

"Great," I mumbled. "Now we have an audience."

"Don't worry," Logan smiled. "I'm sure Henry won't think less of you for being so weak. Hell, I'll be surprised if he doesn't leap to your rescue as soon as he sees you struggling."

I stuck my tongue out before grabbing the handle on my side of the cooler again. Isla groaned in protest, but reluctantly did the same and we began stumbling over the rocks, trying to keep our balance as we lifted the heavy cooler. Just as Logan predicted, a very large person rose off the sand in the distance and began jogging towards us, striding over the rocks with ease.

Even from a distance, it was clearly Henry and I almost dropped the cooler as butterflies erupted in my stomach. He'd stayed over the night of our first date and we'd shared coffee in the morning. It was perfect and romantic and when he left to go and take care of his dog, it was hard to let him leave. I was scared that once our little bubble broke, I wouldn't hear from him again. Maybe a night of passion was all he wanted and he'd got what he came for, but when I received a video less than an hour later of how happily his fluffy little pal had greeted him when he got home, I knew that wasn't the case. We hadn't seen each other since, but we were texting almost constantly and I was nervously excited to see him again.

"Not much of a gentleman, are you, Logan?" He teased once he was close to us. "Making the ladies do all the hard work."

"Thank you!"

Isla grinned, pleased someone was finally agreeing with her, dropping the cooler as she did so. I squeaked as the sudden jerk on my arm had me almost slipping off the rocks, but Henry steadied me before I could fall.

"Thanks," I smiled up at him, feeling a spark just at his simple touch.

"Not a problem," He grinned. "Can I help you with that?"

"Awe, come on, mate!" Logan laughed. "It's been so much fun to watch them struggle!"

"You're an ass," Isla glared as she swatted the back of her cousin's head before storming off to catch up with her aunt and uncle.

"Awe, don't be like that!" Logan protested, following her. "I'm just taking the piss!"

Henry laughed at our friend's antics as he shook his head before bending at the knees and almost effortlessly picking up the cooler.

"If you're trying to impress me," I smiled. "It's working."

"It is quite heavy," He chuckled. "But I think I probably bench press more than this at the gym."

I faked a swoon and Henry jokingly pushed me with the cooler before we continued the trek to the beach.

Everyone's eyes were on us as we approached the large group. It was a bit nerve-racking as clearly everyone had some idea who I was, but the welcoming smiles on everyone's faces put me at ease.

"Took you long enough," Logan sighed. "I've been here waiting for a beer for ages."

"You are literally holding twenty-four in your arms right now," I pointed out. "And if you wanted them faster then maybe you should have been a gentleman like Henry instead of laughing at us."

"These ones aren't cold," Logan smiled. "And I was under the impression that you and Isla were strong, independent women who wouldn't need the help of a man to do such a simple task."

"Independent? Yes," Isla chimed in. "Strong? No."

"Or maybe it was all an act so Superman would swoop in and save the day," Henry's brother, Charlie teased as Henry set down the cooler by a blanket.

Isla made a face at the suggestion, but I felt my cheeks heat up a bit and silently hoped everyone would just assume it was from the sun.

"Everyone, this is Aubrey, she's friends with Logan's cousin Isla," Henry finally introduced me. "Aubrey, this is half the residents of Jersey."

Everyone chuckled at Henry's joke as a tiny voice spoke out from the crowd.

"Uncle Henry says you're from Canada!" The older of the two boys we'd caught jumping on the couch on the weekend shouted. "I am too!"

"Not just you," Another voice squeaked. "Me too!"

"Its not a competition," A man who looked like Henry, probably one of his other brothers, laughed as Charlie raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Are you?" He asked suspiciously. "I always thought you were American."

"Oooh," Isla shook her head. "How insulting!"

"It's not insulting," I shrugged. "But as someone living in Canada, you should know better than to make that assumption."

"I'm very "sore-ry"," He laughed, pronouncing the word 'sorry' in the stereotypical Canadian way. "I'll try to do better, eh?"

I snorted a laugh and playfully rolled my eyes as Isla opened the cooler and pulled out a nice cold can of cider for each of us.

\--

The Cavills and the rest of their guests, a variety of old family friends, were all a very welcoming group. The kids and Kal ran wild, up and down the beach, as the adults sat, soaking up the sun as they drank and chatted. It felt like home, reminding me of family barbecues that we would have on the coast of Lake Ontario.

The group was mingling nicely, but I spent most of the afternoon near Isla and Logan with Henry staying by my side as much as possible, but being dragged away by his family every now and again. I was well aware that people's eyes were on us when he was nearby, but I couldn't blame them for being curious. It was nice seeing him with his family and how close they were and they were all very interesting people so I enjoyed getting to know them as well.

We'd been there for a few hours and I was a few ciders in when a boy, about twelve, flopped down on the blanket next to Henry.

"Hey, Champ," He smiled down at his nephew, setting his beer in the sand so it wouldn't get knocked over. "Are you having fun?"

"Yeah!" The boy beamed up at him. "So much fun! But all the kids are very tiring. They won't leave me alone."

"I saw them chasing you."

"They want to bury me in the sand."

He pulled a face that made Henry and I laugh at his plight.

"This is Aubrey," He introduced me, pulling me closer as his arm was resting behind my back. "Aubrey, this is Johnny. He's my oldest brother's first child and my oldest nephew."

"And his favourite."

He shot me a smirk that rivaled his uncle's and Henry laughed as he ruffled his hair.

"Don't be cheeky," He shook his head. "I love you all the same."

"Wow," Johnny grinned. "You _are_ a good actor!"

I couldn't help, but laugh at the boy's sarcastic tone as Henry gently swatted his head. All of a sudden there was a big commotion as four more tiny bodies piled on top of Johnny.

"Johnny, Johnny!" They all squealed at their cousin before one of them, I think named Thomas, took the lead. "Mum says we can't go swimming unless you come with us so will you, please?"

There was a chorus of begging as Johnny groaned and hid his face in his Uncle's giant arm.

"Please!" A little voice whined. "You have to come in case we drown!"

"I wouldn't save you," Johnny mumbled. "I wouldn't care."

I slapped a hand over my mouth to hide my laughter as Henry pushed the boy's head away from his arm, scolding him about saying such an awful thing. I watched the group harass poor Johnny for a moment longer before tossing back the rest of my cider and coming to his rescue.

"I'll go swimming with you guys," I offered. "I might not be as much fun as Johnny, but I do like to swim!"

"Really?" Thomas asked, his face lighting up before Henry jumped in.

"You don't have to do that," Henry assured me. "They're a handful."

"It's fine," I shrugged. "I'll take Isla with me."

Isla, who was leaning on her elbows next to me as she basked in the sun, scoffed and moved her sunglasses down to glare at me.

"I don't think so," She protested. "I don't even know how to swim."

"Then you should learn!" I insisted. "Global warming and all that."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Rising sea levels!"

She laughed at my unconvincing argument and shook her head before slipping her sunglasses back on and pointing her face back towards the sun.

"Then when the time comes, I'll just have to drown."

I laughed as she resigned herself to her fate and turned my attention back to the boys.

"Looks like it's just us then!"

They all leapt to their feet and away from their cousin, cheering and clapping their hands with excitement. They raced off towards the ocean as I stood from the blanket, tossing my sunglasses down next to Isla before shimmying out of my shorts and pulling my thin white t-shirt over my head. I quickly adjusted my bikini top to make sure nothing would accidentally pop free before jogging off after the children.

Unbeknownst to me, Henry's eyes were glued to my body as I headed off with his nephews.

"Henry!" His second eldest brother, Niki, shouted at him, snapping his attention back to the group he was with. "Stop drooling and go help her."

"It is a lot of kids for one person to handle at once," One of his sister-in-laws fretted. "She could probably use a hand."

Charlie snorted, a smirk on his face.

"I bet Henry would like to give her more than a hand."

Their mother glared, not appreciating her son's crude joke and swiftly told him stop being disrespectful as Henry pulled his shirt over his head.

"Alright," He sighed as if it was a imposition. "I'll go. Johnny, are you going to come?"

The young boy thought about it for a moment before shaking his head.

"Nah, I'll stay here and finish your beer."

Henry rolled his eyes and nudged Isla's shoulder with his foot.

"You guard my drink, alright?"

She laughed and nodded, moving the half empty beer can to her other side, farther away from the cheeky child as Henry ran off towards the water.

The group watched as Henry waded into the water before diving in and swimming over to where I was with the kids, the youngest one clinging to my back as he didn't feel quite confident enough to swim too much on his own.

"I've been sent out here to make sure no one drowns," He teased as he treaded water next to me.

"No one's going to drown!" I insisted. "We're all great swimmers, aren't we, guys?"

"Yeah!" 

They all screamed their agreement at once, before fighting to get their uncles attention, showing off their tricks and how long they could hold their breath. Joey, the one attached to me, was simply happy to watch as his cousins were thrown around by their uncle and raced him to various points, always winning because Henry was too much of a softie to disappoint them by beating them. He was only about four and not very heavy, but after almost half an hour of treading water and swimming around with him on my back, I started getting tired. I was enjoying watching Henry with his nephews though so I didn't want to complain and ruin the fun, but my head was getting lower and lower in the water and it didn't take Henry long to notice.

"Joey, why don't you come swim with me for a while?" He suggested as one of the other boys splashed him which, of course, he retaliated. "I think Aubrey's getting tired."

"No, she's not," Joey insisted quietly. "I don't wanna get splashed..."

"No one will splash you," Henry assured him, swimming right up next to me. "Come on, I'm more fun anyway!"

I splashed him for that comment, earning a giggle from Joey who splashed him too, his movement pushing my head right under the water. I kicked myself back up to the surface, but I was out of breath and Henry smiled, pulling the child off my back.

"Aubrey's not as strong as me," He teased. "And we don't want her to drown."

I stuck my tongue out as his nephews circled us like sharks.

"No one's as strong as you, Uncle Henry!" Thomas shouted. "You're Superman!"

"Hmmm," I pondered, floating on my back to give my legs a break. "Isn't there lots of superheroes that are stronger than Superman?"

"No way!" Joey yelled, squeezing his uncle even tighter. "Superman is the best!"

"But what about..." I paused as I thought of a suggestion. "Batman?"

"Nooo!" They all disagreed.

"He can't even fly!" Thomas said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Superman can fly really well!"

"Can't Batman fly too?"

"Only if he falls off something," Henry laughed. "Superman is far superior."

"He has laser eyes!"

"And he's super strong!"

I laughed, realizing I was out numbered and shook my head at Henry.

"I think you have them all brainwashed," I teased. "Personally I think Batman is better."

"Well, you're wrong."

Henry's blunt comment earned a laugh from all his nephews before Thomas swam between us, a suspicious look in his eye.

"Are you two gonna get married?"

I smiled at his very to the point question as Henry had a bewildered look on his face.

"Why do you ask that?" He questioned his nephew.

"Because," Thomas shrugged. "Dad and Nana said that you were _smidden_ and when I asked what that meant they said that you liked Aubrey a whole lot."

"And she's really pretty," Joey chimed in.

We both blushed at the comments from the kids, but Henry shook his head.

"You have to know someone a long time before you marry them," He explained. "I only just met Aubrey so we won't be getting married any time soon."

The boys seemed satisfied by the answer and we splashed around for a few more minutes before Henry started swimming back to shore.

"Well boys, I think that's enough for now," He informed them. "It looks like Grandad's got the hot dogs on the barbecue anyway so we should head back before Uncle Simon eats them all!"

The boys laughed and all frantically started swimming back to shore. Even Joey finally leapt off of his uncle, trying to catch up to his cousins. I smiled at all their splashing and was just about to pick up my pace when I felt a hand on my foot, pulling me backwards. I didn't resist and soon found myself floating in front of Henry. He pulled me close and I instinctively wrapped my tired legs around his waist.

"Hello," I said softly, a smile on my face.

"Hi there," He grinned. "I've been wanting to get my hands on you all day."

"Oh, have you?"

I stroked the back of his neck lightly as he nodded.

"I have," He confirmed. "And I've been dying to do this."

He leaned in and connected our lips. I smiled into the kiss, enjoying the feel of his large hands spread out on my back, holding me against him.

Back on the shore, the little boys collapsed on the blankets, tired out from all the activity. 

"Where's your uncle?" Charlie asked as he passed his son a juice box.

That was when a roar of laughter came from Johnny.

"Look!" He screamed, pointing out into the ocean. "They're kissing!"

"Ewww!" All the kids squealed as Joey simply looked confused.

"But they're not even getting married yet!"

Isla's interested was piqued at the little boy's statement.

"Who said anything about them getting married?" 

She simply got a shrug in response as everyone watched the couple in the ocean locking lips. After a few moments of staring, despite Mrs. Cavill's protests and demands of giving them privacy, Henry's brother Simon finally stood up.

"Oy!" He shouted, waving his arms to get his brother's attention. "There's kids around, let's keep it family friendly!"

Hearing his shouts from land, we reluctantly broke apart and I buried my head in his neck, embarrassed that his family had just caught us making out like teenagers. Henry didn't seem phased though and simply laughed before shifting me onto his back and carrying me back to shore.

\--

After a lovely dinner of hot dogs, provided by Mr. Cavill, people started to disperse. The kids were all getting cranky from their long day in the sun and many of the adults were tired as well. Some of us were happy to stay though which meant, after making arrangement for some of the kids to have a sleepover with their grandparents, Henry, Logan, Isla, Charlie, Simon, Simon's wife, Laura, and I were the only ones left. Laura wasn't drinking so she offered to be our designated driver since their van was big enough for everyone and we decided to hang out just a bit more to enjoy the quiet evening. Kal stuck around as well of course, but a day in the heat with his thick fur meant he was passed out by my feet.

"I think he likes you more than he likes Henry," Simon smiled as I ran my hands through Kal's fluffy fur.

"I wouldn't go that far," Henry pulled a face. "But he has taken to you faster than he does most people."

"He seems very weary of me," Isla nodded. "And usually animals love me."

"Cleary he has a much keener sense of good character than most animals," I teased, earning a hard punch to my arm. 

I shrieked, leaning into Henry for protection, feeling the many drinks I'd had that day catch up to me, but I still accepted the plastic cup that Logan handed me. We'd finished the beer and cider with dinner and had moved onto the harder stuff. I sipped it and coughed slightly as the alcohol burned my throat.

"Jesus, Logan," I laughed. "Is that just straight vodka?"

"No," He smirked, handing drinks to the rest of the people. "It has a splash of lemonade."

"Sure, it does," Isla rolled her eyes as she sniffed her drink, her face confirming that mine wasn't the only one that was strong. She got a glint in her eye though as an idea popped into her head. "Ooh, let's play never have I ever!"

"We're not sixteen years old, Isla," I rolled my eyes. "That's such a high school game."

"I've never played," Henry smirked. "I think it could be fun."

"I don't think it's big on this side of the pond," Logan agreed. "Let's give it a whirl. What are the rules?"

Everyone looked at me and I sighed despite the smile on my face.

"So you make a statement like...'never have I ever been in a movie'," I explained. "And then anyone who has been in a movie would have to take a drink."

"Sounds easy enough," Isla grinned. "And like it could get very interesting. Let's do it!"

Everyone agreed so I reluctantly relented. After a moment of discussion, Simon was elected to begin as Laura took a can of pop out of the cooler to use as her 'drink'.

"Never have I ever...been to Canada!"

With a roll of my eyes, I took a drink, but so did Charlie and Henry. I wanted to ask which part Henry had been to even though it was likely one of the big cities, but Logan wasted no time in moving the game along with his 'never have I ever'.

Things started off quite tame, which was to be expected, but after we'd each had at least two turns, Isla kicked things up a notch.

"Never have I ever had sex outside!"

Everyone drank for that one, including Isla, but it opened the door to a whole new realm of questions.

"Never have I ever...had anal sex."

Laura suggested that one and the three women rolled their eyes as all the men drank.

"It's funny," I mused. "All the men drink for that one every time, yet the women never do."

Isla snorted a laugh as she lit a cigarette.

"Makes you wonder who they're having anal sex with."

Laura and I joined her in her giggles as the men voiced their protests at what we were implying.

"Never have I ever had a threesome."

That was Henry which was interesting to know. Being someone in his situation, with his level of fame, it wouldn't have surprised me if he had, but really, he didn't seem like the type. Isla, Logan and Charlie drank though which led to plenty of questions from the Cavill brothers as they clearly didn't thing their youngest brother was the type either. Then it was my turn.

"Never have I ever filmed myself having sex."

Isla and Simon drank, but Henry hesitated.

"Does it count if it was for a film?"

Isla laughed at his clarification.

"Not unless you were really having sex and not just acting."

"Alright," Henry smiled. "Then no."

Logan pondered for a minute before coming up with his statement.

"Never have I ever had sex in a moving vehicle."

Laura and Simon drank, but this time it was my turn to hesitate.

"Don't laugh at this," I warned them all. "But does a canoe count?"

There was a brief quiet pause before laughter erupted from everyone.

"Awe, hun," Isla giggled. "You're so Canadian."

I flipped her off as Logan answered the question.

"Was it moving?"

"It was drifting?" I shrugged. "We weren't rowing it, but it was floating with the current."

"Then I'd say it counts!"

I laughed and took a hearty sip from my drink, feeling my cheeks burn under Henry's gaze at my confession. It was a bit awkward talking about previous sexual experiences with someone I was just starting to 'see', but it was a low pressure way of getting some things out in the open. It was hard to know what he would judge though, but I supposed that went both ways and I tried not to worry about it too much.

The game continued for about another hour and by the time we were done, everyone except Laura was well and truly drunk.

"Well," She said, standing up and brushing the sand off her bum. "I think it's time I got you lot home."

The sun was almost set by this point anyway and we all had enough sense to know that it wouldn't be smart to drink anymore so we agreed.

"Jus' wait," I protested slurring slightly. "I gotta pee first."

Laura smiled and nodded as I hoisted myself up from the ground in a very ungraceful fashion and stumbled my way over to the bathroom. The room was spinning slightly as I sat down in the stall, but I couldn't wipe the smile off my face. It had been such a nice day. Just being around such fun and lovely people was refreshing and with the added bonus of also being around a very attractive man who was interested in me, I was feeling very happy.

I finished up my business and quickly washed my hands in the sink. The water from the tap was ice cold and, knowing that I could use sobering up a bit, I splashed some on my face. My eyes were squeezed closed as I reached for the paper towel and just as I patted my face dry, I felt hands on my hips. I jumped slightly and my eyes shot open as I prepared myself to fight off an attacker, but I quickly relaxed as I saw Henry in the mirror.

"You scared me!" I whined, turning in his arms and swatting him on the shoulder. "I thought I was gonna be murdered."

"Hmmm," He smiled, pulling me closer. "I thought you didn't think there was any danger on this small little island."

"In town, maybe," I clarified, dropping my paper towel onto the counter. "But out here in the wild, who knows what might happen."

"Which is why I figured I should make you were safe."

Before I could even comment on his statement, he lowered his head and connected our lips. I let out a quiet, happy whimper as I slid my arms around his neck. Our lips moved together effortlessly, the rhythm smooth and familiar now we'd practiced it a few times. The alcohol in my system seemed to enhance all the sensations and my brain couldn't focus on anything except how he still smelt _so_ good after being in the ocean and sweating on a beach all day. Time passed by without either of us noticing, but I snapped back to reality as he cupped his hands under my bum and lifted me onto the counter with ease, but dropped me down quite hard due to his lack of coordination.

I giggled and reached up to smooth his little curls out of his face. His cheeks were rosy, his eyes were just a tiny bit bloodshot and his smile was dopey. It was all terribly endearing, but also made it very clear that he was intoxicated.

"Henry Cavill," I smirked up at him. "You're drunk!"

He laughed and settled between my legs as they wrapped around him.

"I am," He admitted. "I don't drink like this very often anymore. Should've stopped before we even started playing that silly game."

"It was fun though," I giggled. "And very informative."

"Mmm, it was," He grinned before kissing me again, short and quick. "I have another one...Never have I ever had sex in a public bathroom."

I was just about to agree with his statement when a voice interrupted us.

"And now is not the time to try it, little brother!"

Our heads snapped over to see Simon standing in the doorway, his hand firmly over his eyes. My cheeks burned as I laughed and Henry buried his face in my neck.

"It's time to go so please put your clothes back on if they've been removed and meet us at the car," Simon demanded. "And if you don't appear in the next five minutes then we'll leave without you."

He kept his eyes covered until he turned around before walking quickly out of the room.

"I can absolutely afford to get us a taxi back," Henry informed me, nipping at my neck.

"Tempting," I smiled, pushing him away. "Or, we could ride back with everyone else and you could stay at my place tonight?"

"That probably would be more comfortable," Henry agreed. "And more hygienic."

"Exactly!"

I giggled, hopping off the counter, wobbling slightly as I landed. Henry stretched out his hand, but I ignored it. Instead, I hooked my arm under his so we were as close as we could possibly be while we stumbled together out the door and in search of our ride home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter got way out of hand haha it was just supposed to be a short, fun little thing but here we are 5000 words later!
> 
> I have quite a busy work week ahead so the next update might be a few days away, but don't lose faith. I have lots and lots planned for these two. 
> 
> Thank you again for all the feedback and support! I'm so glad people are enjoying reading it as much as I'm enjoying writing it :) <3


	7. Chapter Seven

For the next week and a half, Henry and I were completely wrapped up in each other. We were together whenever I wasn't working and even sometimes when I was if he came in with one of his brothers or friends for a pint. He gave me butterflies every time I saw him and we'd fallen into a surprising level of comfort with each other considering it had only been two and a half weeks since we met.

We spent our days touring the island, going to all of Henry's favourite spots and taking Kal on hikes if the weather was nice. We talked about our pasts, the accomplishments we were proud of and things we would have done differently and shared our goals for the future whether they were lofty or more realistic. It felt like I'd known him a lifetime and, like his nephew had said that day at the beach, we were both _smidden_.

Isla and I were discussing this very topic that Saturday morning as we had breakfast. Henry had just left to take his parents to the airport since they were going away for the weekend and not even ten minutes later, my phone lit up with a text.

**"I could get used to waking up next to this"**

He'd attached a [picture](https://66.media.tumblr.com/f23871f3e2a51a474e58d167d3885dd4/258775452c3f34df-ba/s540x810/39b9c3282a94353efc018ea1343a8c54f7a63b7e.jpg) he'd taken of me when we first woke up that morning and I couldn't stop myself from smiling like an idiot.

"I swear if that's Henry, even though he left our flat literally fifteen minutes ago, I'm going to throw up," Isla warned as she took a bite of her cereal. "You two are killing me with how adorable you are."

I showed her the message and she rolled her eyes despite the smile on her face.

"He's really sweet," I grinned. "We have so much fun together."

"I know, I hear all your fun almost every night," She teased, making me blush. "But seriously, I'm happy for you, Bree."

"Thanks, Isla. I'm happy for me too."

"How much longer is he here for?"

"I don't actually know," I admitted, realizing we'd never actually spoken about that. "Probably not too much longer. I think when we met he said he was only here for a few weeks."

"And what happens after that?"

"I don't really know," I shrugged. "I guess that will be it..."

Isla was in the process of lifting her coffee mug to take a sip as I spoke, but her head snapped towards me so fast that she spilled it all over herself.

"Ow, shit," She mumbled, wiping it off her hand with a tea towel before turning her attention back to me. "Really? You really don't want this to be more than a summer fling?"

"It's not that I don't want it to be more," I hesitated. "I just don't see how it could work."

"Why not?"

"Well for one, we don't even live in the same city."

"Manchester and London are not that far apart," She pointed out. "They have these handy things called trains that get you there in like two hours."

I scoffed at her suggestion.

"Yeah, and those train tickets cost more than we've made all summer."

"Well lucky for you, you're dating a millionaire," She smirked at me. "But other than that easy to solve problem, what else is holding you back."

"I didn't say I was being held back, I'm just thinking logically," I clarified. "But, I mean, Trev cheated on me for ages when we lived in the same city. Hell, we even lived in the same apartment. I just don't see how it could work living so far apart."

Isla turned in her chair so she was facing me fully and put her coffee down to remove all distractions which meant I was in for a serious reprimanding.

"First of all, it's Trevor. Not Trev," She informed me. "Nicknames are for people who've earned them, not cheating pricks who make you feel like shit."

I couldn't help, but smile at her scolding, but she gave me a stern look that told me she wasn't joking around.

"And second of all," She continued. "Henry is not Trevor. Just because Trevor hurt you, doesn't mean that Henry will. I've seen you do this a hundred times, Bree, but I've never seen anyone make you as happy as Henry does so I really think you should think twice before you run away this time."

"I haven't done it a hundred times," I mumbled, looking down at my hands. "And I'm not running away. I'm just..."

"Trying to protect yourself?" Isla suggested when I trailed off. "I know how bad he hurt you, but you're never going to find a relationship that's a guarantee from the start. At some point, you just have to blindly throw yourself into something and hope you come out relatively unscathed."

"I'm being cautious," I clarified. "Honestly though, Henry might not even want this to go anywhere. It might be a non-issue."

"He's monogamous, a relationship type," Isla informed me as she hid her smirk with a sip of her coffee. "He wants a big family and is ready to settle down."

Henry had mentioned that during our conversations, how badly he wanted a family, but I couldn't recall sharing that information with Isla.

"Have you been googling him?" I asked with a playful glare.

"I couldn't resist!" She confessed with a giggle. "All that information was there, right at my fingertips. I had to make sure he was good for you."

"You probably know more about him than I do," I smiled. "But just because he's a relationship type or wants a family, doesn't mean he wants those things with me."

"That's a fair point. It's doubtful, but I can see where you're coming from," She nodded. "But really the only way you're going to know for sure is to talk to him about this."

I wrinkled my nose with annoyance at the thought.

"But then if it goes badly, that's the end of it," I pointed out. "I just want to enjoy the time we have."

"Well, that's not how adults handle relationships," She scolded me. "You need to talk to him or someone is going to get hurt."

I sighed, knowing she was probably right.

"Alright," I relented. "His parents are in London for a few days so I'm going to his place for dinner tonight. I'll try to talk to him then."

"Good girl."

Isla flashed me a smile as she finished her coffee and stood up to take her mug to the sink. She walked past me on her way to her bedroom, pausing to kiss the top of my head affectionately before she left me with my thoughts. Thoughts that were making my head spin and my stomach turn with anxiety about the dinner that I had been looking forward to only moments before.

\--

Dinner at Henry's was lovely. He made us a wonderful brown rice pasta dish, lit candles to set the mood and was nothing, but a doting host. Yet, I just couldn't shake the horrible, melancholy mood I was in as I tried to find a way to bring up the conversation I knew we needed to have and that only added to my bad mood as I knew I was putting a damper on a nice evening.

I knew Henry could sense something was off as well, but it wasn't until we were curled up together on the couch after dinner that he finally confronted me.

"Is everything alright?" He blurted out, drawing my attention away from the spot on the wall that I'd been staring at. "You seem...distracted."

"Everything's fine," I lied, knowing that it was now or never. "I'm just wondering, when are you leaving?"

He looked puzzled by my question, but answered me honestly.

"Unfortunately, in about a week and a half."

I sighed, realizing that we really did need to have this conversation now if he was leaving so soon.

"And after that," I started, looking down at my hands. "What happens with us?"

"You're here until the end of the summer, yeah?" I nodded in response. "Well, I probably won't be in London when you get back. I have a few engagements in America, but I should be back the following week, the second week of September. I figured you can come down and visit then if you'd like or perhaps you'd like to show me around Manchester if you're all settled in?"

There was a hint of excitement in his voice and my heart clenched as I forced myself to look him in the eye.

"Do you think that's a good idea?"

My voice was quiet, but Henry heard it loud and clear. He was a very talented actor, but there was no masking the hurt and confusion on his face.

"Don't you?"

I hesitated slightly and saw the hurt in his eyes deepen even more.

"I'm not sure," I admitted. "Long distance, even just between Manchester and London, isn't easy. I'm just not sure if a month long fling is a solid enough footing for something like that."

Henry was tense as he shifted so we were no longer curled up next to each other and the distance made my stomach drop.

"I must admit, I'm really surprised by this," He confessed after a moment of thought as his eyebrows knitted together in confusion or perhaps annoyance. "And I can't help, but feel like I've been led on."

My jaw practically dropped at his statement and my defences were instantly on the rise.

"I never led you on," I said firmly. "Not once did you ask me what I was looking for here and not once did we discuss what might happen when we left Jersey. I never promised you anything or misled you."

"You didn't say anything, that's true," Henry agreed. "But all the signs were there. I'm not completely inept, I see the way you look at me, the way you flirt, the way you touch me, it's more than just sex. You let me think there was something between us. I thought you liked me."

His voice was confident and firm, but it softened on the last part and I regretted getting defensive. I was messing this up, just like I knew that I would.

"I'm not expressing this properly," I groaned, pressing the heels of my palms into my eyes as if the pressure would clear my brain. "I do like you, Henry. I really do."

"Then I'm not sure how we're not on the same page."

I took a deep breath, feeling his sad eyes fixed on me and tried my best to put my feelings into words.

"Jersey is a bubble," I started, thinking over each word before I spoke. "There's no pressure here, neither of us have any serious responsibilities and we live ten minutes from each other. Once we get home, everything will be different. We'll be two hundred miles apart, we'll barely ever see each other. We'll be clinging onto all the happy memories from the summer, but eventually you'll meet someone as incredible and gorgeous as you are and suddenly I'll disappear from your mind."

Henry was quiet for a moment, but his nostrils flared in a way that betrayed his annoyance. Kal, the ever doting pal, must have sensed it too as he walked over and placed his head in his owner's lap, looking at me with possibly the most judging eyes I'd ever seen from a dog.

"I'm going to ignore the fact that what you're implying is quite insulting to me," Henry finally spoke as he stroked Kal's head. "And focus on why you think that there's someone more incredible or gorgeous than you."

I rolled my eyes at his attempt to flatter me.

"Because there are plenty of women who are far more attractive and successful than I am," I informed him. "And with your line of work, you're surrounded by them constantly."

"So the problem is just that you don't trust me?"

"That's not it!" I insisted, feeling my thoughts getting scattered and confused once again. "But if they're in front of you and I'm not, then I would understand why you'd want to pursue that."

Henry looked at me like I just told him I was an alien from another planet.

"So if we gave this a shot, but went an extended period of time without seeing each other and a very attractive and charming man approached you on a night out, you would instantly be swayed without giving me another thought?"

"No!" I snapped indignantly. "I would never do that to you or to anyone I was dating!"

"So then why are you so convinced that I would?" He questioned, his face softening again as he took a deep breath. "Look, Aubrey. I'm not getting any younger. I want a relationship, I want a wife and a family. I wouldn't have started this or continued to pursue you the way that I have if I wasn't in it for the long haul."

"But we've only known each other for two weeks," I pointed out, my voice quiet and timid. "We don't even know if this will work."

"Of course we don't," Henry agreed with a gentle smile. "I'm not saying I want to marry you tomorrow, I'm saying that I didn't start this with the intention of it being just a summer romance."

His voice sounded sincere and my heart ached as my indecision ran through me.

"But we live so far apart," I reminded him. "I know it might not seem that far, but train travel in England is crazy expensive."

Henry smirked, raising an eyebrow.

"I think I can probably afford it."

"I'm not that kind of girl," I warned him. "I wouldn't feel comfortable letting you spend that much money all the time if I can't return the favour."

"That's understandable," Henry nodded, his smirk gone. "But we can figure something out. It's expensive, but it's not impossible. People in a less privileged situation than us make it work all the time."

It was true. Plenty of people did long distance between Manchester and London, but I couldn't shake my worries and anxieties. A silence fell between us as I watched Henry's thumb gently stroke Kal's snout, his eyes fixed on me the whole time. There was a tension between us, a sad awkwardness that made me want to take it all back and avoid the conversation all together. It was too late though and now we had to deal with our problems like adults.

"So," Henry's voice broke my thoughts after a few moments of reflection. "What do you want to do?"

_I want to be with you. I want to give this a shot. I want to be your girlfriend and feel the same giddy happiness you've caused me this summer for as long as I possibly can._

The thoughts in my heart were clear, but the voice in my head just wouldn't go away so after another moment of silence I squeaked out the most pathetic answer.

"I don't know."

Henry sighed and Kal shifted to peer up at him, his big brown eyes begging to ease his owner's pain. Pain that I had caused in an attempt to ease my own. I felt trapped, I felt panicked, I felt guilty and most of all I felt sad.

Before my brain even registered what my body was doing, I bolted up from the couch, cracking my knuckles nervously as Henry stared at me in confusion.

"Don't go," He said softly. "We should talk this through, we shouldn't leave things like this."

I shook my head as the lump in my throat made it hard to speak.

"I need to think," I choked out. "I'm sorry, Henry, but I just need to be alone right now."

I didn't even wait for a response before I practically ran towards the door. I half expected Henry to follow, to chase me down and beg me to stay, but he was no where in sight as I slipped out the door and into the warm evening air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's a good story without a little angst and emotional baggage, right? Sorry, guys!
> 
> Thanks to everyone who commented, I love reading everyone's thoughts <3


	8. Chapter Eight

Isla was still at work when I got home from Henry's that night, but I was grateful for it. I didn't want to talk or hear the scolding I was sure she would give me. I just wanted to sleep. Unfortunately, that wasn't easy though. No matter how tightly I squeezed my eyes closed, my mind was racing too much for me to fall asleep.

I heard Isla come home around midnight and, spotting my shoes by the door, I heard her call my name, but I ignored her. Settling for laying in my bed, staring at the ceiling until I finally drifted off to sleep around three in the morning. My break from reality was short lived though and despite my late night, I was up shortly after the sun rose the next day. I couldn't bare to mope in bed any longer and dragged myself up to make some coffee expecting to have more time alone to reflect as Isla was a late riser, but much to my surprise, she staggered out of her room just after eight o'clock.

"Did I wake you?" I asked, hoping that wasn't the case. "Do you want some coffee?"

"No and yes," She yawned rubbing her eyes as she sat on a stool at the little bar in our kitchen. "I saw your shoes here last night. You didn't stay at Henry's?"

I sighed as I poured her some coffee and shook my head as I handed it to her.

"No, I did not."

"And why not?"

"Because I ran away."

Isla groaned and put her head on the counter in front of her.

"What happened?"

"I told him I wasn't sure if it would be a good idea for us to keep seeing other," I confessed. "And even though I said everything wrong and made a mess of it, he wants to give it a shot and keep seeing each other."

"So? What went wrong?"

I narrowed my eyes at Isla wondering if her half asleep brain missed the first part of this conversation.

"I literally ran away," I repeated. "He asked what I wanted to do and I ran out the door and came home."

Isla snorted a laugh as I protested that it really wasn't funny.

"I know, babe, I'm sorry," She smiled. "So why did you run away? How did you make a mess of it?"

"Nothing was coming out right," I told her, running through our conversation in my head. "I guess I implied that he'd find someone else that he liked more than me and cheat, which he found insulting."

"Well, it kind of is," She pointed out. "Did you tell him about Trevor?"

"Oh yes, that's a great plan," I rolled my eyes. "Tell him all my baggage so he can run away before I do."

"Well it sounds like your baggage is pushing him away even if you're not telling him about it."

I stared at her for a moment, surprised by her insight, before sighing.

"That's a good point," I admitted. "So since you have all the answers, what do I do now?"

"I can't tell you that," Isla smiled sympathetically. "What do you want to do?"

"I don't know!" I cried, putting my head in my hands. "I've been up all night trying to figure it out and I just don't know."

"Okay, okay," Isla sat up straight, her face focused as she settled in to trouble shoot my problem. "Let's start with what you don't want."

I took a deep breath as I thought over her question.

"I don't want to stop seeing him," I eventually admitted. "I don't want to be scared and run away, but I don't want to get hurt."

"Then it seems pretty clear what you need to do," She shrugged. "You can't avoid forming relationships with people because they might hurt you. Look at us, we hurt each other all the time, but we care about each other so we make up for it. It's just a part of life and I think as far as men goes, Henry's a pretty good one."

"I think so too, but I think..." I paused as I tried to figure out how to phrase the realization that I'd had in the late hours of the night. "It's not him that's the problem. I don't think he's the type to cheat, but because of how Trevor behaved and what he did to me, I'll be so paranoid all the time. Even if Henry is great, I'm going to drive myself insane with the 'what ifs'."

"But it will be like that whenever you finally throw yourself into a relationship," Isla pointed out. "You said yourself that Trevor did what he did in the same city as you so the distance isn't really the issue and you can't just die alone because of one shitty boyfriend. You're far too hot for that."

I couldn't help, but laugh at her comment, but I knew her words were true. Especially because if I did die alone, it would be like letting Trevor win.

"It's probably too late now anyway," I said quietly as Isla watched me closely. "He's probably so mad at me. He asked me to stay and not leave things like they were and I ran out the door like a fucking child."

"I think you need to stop focusing on how things _probably_ are or _might_ be and start living in the now," Isla told me, sipping her coffee. "You're allowed to be scared and upset, Henry is too, but if he's willing to let it all fall apart because you didn't instantly know what you wanted from a two week relationship then he's not as invested as he says he is."

I nodded at her very true statement before a smile slid onto my face.

"Honestly, Isla, when did you get so wise?" I teased. "You should be a therapist or something with all this deep wisdom you're throwing out."

She laughed and stuck her tongue out at me.

"Shut up, I know you're making fun of me," She rolled her eyes. "Now, go win back that sexy millionaire man of yours before you have to get to work."

I glanced at the clock. I had work at three and it was only nine, I could be there by ten if I got ready quickly and that would give us enough time to hash things out without needing to rush. I shouted my thanks to Isla again for helping me sort through my anxious thoughts and raced off to shower.

\--

I knocked on Henry's door about an hour after my conversation with Isla and felt my hands sweat nervously. I heard the faint sound of barking before Henry's voice floated through the closed door as he told Kal to relax before it opened.

"Hi," He said softly, his eyebrows raised in surprise. "I wasn't expecting to see you again so soon."

"I didn't like how we left things," I admitted. "Can I come in?"

Henry's body language was tense, but he nodded and stepped aside. Unlike the friendly greeting I'd received the night before, Kal kept his distance and let out a low growl of protest at my presence.

"Wow," I smiled weakly. "One little argument and I become public enemy number one?"

"He's very loyal," Henry chuckled. "He doesn't like to see me upset, but he'll be okay."

"I didn't meant to upset you," I felt my stomach drop at his words. "I just want to explain where I was coming from."

Henry nodded before gesturing to the living room. I was slightly hesitant to walk past the angry dog, but despite his fierce stance, I spotted just a hint of a tail wag as I went by.

I sat on the couch, but felt awkward and stiff as I perched on the edge of the cushion, my guilt from my behaviour the night before making it hard for me to make myself at home. Henry, however, settled right in, draping his arm over the back of the couch where my shoulders would have been had I leaned back.

"Okay, so," I started, unsure of where to begin as I angled my self towards him. After a moment of thought, I decided Isla was right, once again, and I should start at the beginning. "I know this might seem deep and maybe too soon to discuss since we've only known each other for two weeks, but I want you to understand why I'm hesitant."

I paused, giving Henry a chance to speak up if he wanted to, but he stayed silent, giving me nothing but a curious raise of his eyebrow.

"My ex-boyfriend was not a very nice guy," I began, feeling my stomach turn as I was about to open all kinds of old wounds that I would rather not revisit. "We were together for four years, from when I was twenty-two until I was twenty-six, I moved to England about two months after we broke up." It wasn't really relevant information, but I was gearing up for the hard part. "He cheated on me. A lot. For the entire last year of our relationship, probably for longer, but I don't know that for sure. We lived together and I trusted him completely until the day I caught him with another girl in our bed."

"Ouch," Henry murmured, sympathetically.

"Yeah, serious 'ouch'," I smiled half-heartedly. "But what's worse is that I didn't break up with him on the spot. He was my first real boyfriend and I was so madly in love with him that when he swore it was a one time thing and would never happen again, I believed him."

"People make mistakes," Henry excused my choice. "Second chances aren't always a bad decision."

"No, they're not," I agreed. "But when it's the third, fourth, fifth and sixth chance, it gets a bit ridiculous. I was absolutely miserable, but he was able to talk his way out of it every time. After I caught him, I found tinder on his phone, but he said he was just on his friends account trying to help him and I believed him because I wanted it to be true, but when I caught him with someone the second time, he wasn't as apologetic."

Henry tilted his head in confusion and I rushed to explain.

"He kind of..." I paused, trying to think how to word it. "Turned it around on me. Like it was my fault that he'd strayed and I was so stupid and in love with him that I believed him again. I felt like if I could just be better, more sexual, more attractive, more loving and more fun to be around then he wouldn't need to look for that somewhere else."

"Aubrey, that's not true..."

I swallowed the lump in my throat as I nodded at his reassuring words.

"I know that now, but it was a long year of deep self-hatred and self-doubt and it's taken me a long time to start to love myself again," I rushed through my explanation realizing we were getting slightly off topic. "But what he did isn't really the point. I just want you to know what I'm struggling with here. I didn't mean to imply that I thought you were going to cheat on me. That was rude and I don't think that. I guess I'm just worried about how I'll feel, mentally, with the distance when I know you're often surrounded by amazing women that I could never compete with. It was a dark place to be and I'm scared to go back to that."

Henry stared at me for a moment before he reached forward with his arm that was on the back of the couch and tugged my shoulder gently.

"Come here," He insisted, pulling me towards him as I moved willingly. I melted into his arms when they finally wrapped around me, holding me against his chest as I felt a heavy sense of relief at finally getting my thoughts out properly. "I'm sorry you went through that. I'm sorry that someone made you doubt how absolutely wonderful you are, I really am."

I felt tears prick my eyes at his genuine kindness after how I'd made him feel the night before.

"It's okay," I sniffled, blinking back the tears. "It was my own fault, I should have left. I gave him the power to make me feel that way."

"Things aren't always black and white when you care about someone," Henry assured me. "That doesn't give someone the right to take advantage of your feelings and make you feel bad about yourself."

"It also doesn't give me the right to hurt you because of my past," I pointed out, pulling back slightly to wipe my eyes. "I don't want this to be over in a week, but I'm scared I won't know how to make it work with my insecurities."

I sat up reluctantly so I was no longer wrapped in his arms, but leaned back against the couch as we stayed next to each other.

"I can't take your insecurities away," Henry informed me even though that was something I already knew. "But I can do my best to reassure you and do whatever you need to make you feel comfortable and secure."

I worried my lip between my teeth nervously.

"But what if I'm being clingy?" I asked. "Or if I get jealous over something stupid?"

"Then I'll try my best to be patient and understanding," He smiled, reaching out to cup my cheek in his large hand. "I can't promise that I'll always be perfect either, Aubrey, but I can promise that you're one of the most beautiful and interesting people that I've met in a long time and I want us to give this a chance."

"I do too," I agreed quietly. "But what about the distance? How will we ever see each other?"

"You're welcome to come down to London as much as you'd like when I'm home," He offered. "Or I'll come up to you as often as you'll have me. Cost isn't an issue, I'm not trying to be funny, but it's a drop in the ocean for me so I'll take care of it. Once you get a job and have settled in then we can discuss it if it's important to you."

"I wasn't planning on getting a job," I confessed with a shy smile. "I have enough savings to live on for a while from my last couple of books so I was going to start writing again, I have a few ideas bouncing around."

A smirk slid onto Henry's face.

"Oh? Did you find some romantic inspiration?"

I giggled quietly as I nodded my head before gently slapping his chest.

"Don't be so smug," I scolded playfully. "But it could be a while before I have a solid income is what I'm saying."

"It doesn't matter," Henry insisted. "Seeing you is an investment that I'm more than happy to make."

I felt my heart swell at his words, feeling more relief that things were patched up between us. I was suddenly feeling rather overwhelmed by the whirlwind of emotion that we'd been through in less than twenty-four hours and my lip started to quiver. Henry's eyes widened in surprise as mine filled with tears once again.

"Sorry," I whispered, wiping at them frantically. "I didn't sleep much last night and I cry a lot when I'm tired."

Henry reached up to wipe away the tears that were dripping slowly down my cheeks.

"It's alright," He assured me. "I didn't sleep well either, but we're okay now, right?"

"Right," I nodded, sniffling to get myself under control. "I shouldn't have left. I should have stayed until we sorted it out and saved ourselves some grief."

"I can understand why you needed some space," Henry assured me. "But I would appreciate it if we tried a different tactic next time? I'm not the type who likes to go to bed with things like this hanging over us."

"I agree."

My voice was quiet as I spoke before leaning in closer to Henry, his big hand still firmly holding my cheek. I slid both of mine up to cup his face as well as our lips hovered over each other. He stayed still letting me make all the moves, but I couldn't hold the power for long before caving and pressing my lips against his.

It was a sweet, tender kiss. Familiar, as we'd shared plenty of kisses in the last couple of weeks, but also new and exciting as we were moving forward into new things. I would have happily stayed in that moment forever, but Henry reluctantly pulled away.

"There's another topic we need to discuss if we're going to give this a shot," He warned me, looking suddenly much more nervous than he had before. "The media and my fans."

"What about them?"

"Well, they can be nasty. With my fans, it's mostly petty jealousy and disappointment that I'm taken, but the media can be downright cruel just for the sake of it," He informed me. "If you're worried about your self-esteem, I can't help, but wonder how that will affect you..."

He had a valid point and I took a moment to ponder what he was saying before I answered.

"I think I'll be okay," I assured him, stroking his cheek with my thumb. "I don't really care what twelve year old Susie or fifty year old Marge thinks about me or if I'm good enough for you. I just care what you think. I didn't drive myself crazy in my last relationship because someone else was telling me that I wasn't good enough, his actions were showing me that and I cared what he thought."

"Well, I think that you're too good for me," Henry confessed, making me roll my eyes to avoid them filling with tears once again at his sweetness. "I do and I'll do my best to remind you of that every day."

I smiled and pressed my lips against his in another short kiss as I couldn't think of any other way to express my gratitude for his understanding.

"So what do we do now?" I asked as our lips parted again. "Do we go public with some romantic Instagram post? Is that how this works?"

Henry chuckled, shaking his head.

"It works however we want it to work," He informed me. "I have absolutely no reservations about doing that if that's what you'd like."

I thought about it for a moment before shaking my head.

"No, I think we should let it happen organically. When I take a picture of you that I think is worth posting then I'll post it," I decided before a smirk slid onto my face. "Even though that could take far too long because you're so horribly unphotogenic."

Henry's jaw dropped slightly at my clearly sarcastic insult before pushing himself forward and knocking me backwards onto the couch. I squealed in surprise as I was pinned under his weight before the giggles took over me.

There was someone in the room who wasn't amused though and he made himself known as he galloped over, barking and growling at us. Clearly, he was still focused on the energy in the room the night before and not the more relaxed vibes now as he nipped at Henry's arm.

"Ow, Kal!" Henry scolded, pushing his snout away. "It's fine! We're fine! No one's getting hurt!"

I laughed at how quick he was to leap into action and reached out to stroke his confused face.

"You're such a good boy," I cooed. "But look, we're smiling!"

Both Henry and I smiled exaggeratedly to ease his concern, but he still seemed suspicious as he reluctantly laid down next to the couch, keeping his eyes focused on us.

I sighed happily as Henry wiggled between my legs to make himself comfortable and I lazily stroked the back of his neck. He 'hmmm'd' in response and let his lips ghost across my jaw teasingly before moving his head lower and settling them against my neck. It felt wonderful and I basked in the sensation until Henry pressed his hips against mine.

"It's not that I'm not enjoying this," I broke the silence around us, my voice hoarse with growing arousal. "But it's weird having Kal watching us so intently."

I felt Henry chuckle against my neck sending shivers down my spine.

"I can understand your discomfort," He concurred. "Shall we take this upstairs? I think we could both use a nap after our sleepless night."

"Mhmm," I agreed. "Or perhaps we should really tire ourselves first....maybe get a quick cardio work out in before I have to leave for work?"

I was referring back to the conversation we'd had on the way to the zoo, but Henry immediately picked up on it and before I knew it, he'd sprung off the couch before puling me up with him and tossing me over his shoulder. Kal whined at the sudden aggressive action, but a quick reassurance from Henry mixed with my hysterical laughter that drowned out my protests, he stayed put as Henry whisked me up the stairs so we could make up properly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I wrote this on Thursday at the end of a long day and I edited today, but I'm incredibly hungover because I had a horrible week and accidentally drank far too much wine yesterday...so forgive me if the editing is poor haha
> 
> So much love to everyone who commented! You guys make my day :)


	9. Chapter Nine

A week and a bit after we'd established what we were, I found myself sitting on Henry's bed next to a half packed suitcase.

"When are you leaving for America?" I asked as Henry dug through his closet, trying to find the clothes he needed amongst the ones that were clearly too small and leftover from when he lived here.

"In about a week," He informed me, pulling a couple of shirts off their hangers and bringing them over to the bed. "I'll be in Phoenix, Arizona for the most part so we'll be seven hours apart."

I pouted at that information, knowing it would be difficult to find time to speak. It was hard enough to keep in touch with my friends and family in Ontario and that was only a five hour difference.

"Why are you going there?" I asked as he tucked the shirts into his bag. "I would have guessed LA or New York."

"Just for some events," He shrugged. "Nothing too remarkable, but I need to show my face."

I sighed, resisting the urge to say that he didn't really need to go then and should stay with me instead. As much as I felt that way, it probably wasn't a good idea to start whining about his travels so early in our relationship. A silence settled between us as he continued rummaging and I turned my attention to the suitcase beside me.

"I like this colour," I mused as I fished one of his recently packed clothes out of the bag. "I bet it really brings out your eyes."

I admired it for a moment before placing it on the bed as another item of his clothing caught my eye and I pulled that one out as well. I continued for a few moments until I realized Henry was staring at me, a smirk on his face.

"What?"

"You've unpacked half my suitcase," He pointed out with a chuckle, walking back over towards me. "Are you trying to tell me that you don't want me to go?"

"It's not half," I argued, a blush on my cheeks at having been caught in my delay tactic. "But no, I don't want you to go."

"Awe," Henry cooed as he crawled over me slowly, forcing me to lay down as he hovered over me. "I don't particularly want to go either. I'd much rather stay here with you."

"I wish you could," I smiled, putting my arms around his neck. "I'm gonna miss you. I got used to having you around all the time."

"I got rather used to you as well," He grinned, leaning down to kiss the tip of my nose. "But I bet Isla is ready to have her friend back, I have been monopolizing most of your time."

"She did mention that I've been a tad neglectful lately," I admitted with a giggle. "But she understands and I don't doubt that she'll ditch me for her boyfriend as soon as we're home."

"That's fair then," He decided before nuzzling into my neck. 

I shifted my hips to part my legs and wrap them around his waist, reveling in the feeling knowing it would be the last time for a whole month that we got to be this close. We would be apart for almost longer than we'd been together and as much as I trusted Henry, there was part of me that was still worried about how we'd cope. A sigh fell from my lips at the thought and Henry moved his face from my neck to peer up at me.

"What's on your mind?"

"A month is a long time to be apart so soon," I reluctantly told him. "Do you think we'll be okay?"

"I do," He nodded confidently. "It might be tough, but we can call and FaceTime as much as possible."

"That's true," I kissed him softly. "But we won't get to kiss or touch and I've gotten very used to you touching me."

My words came out almost as a purr and Henry groaned as he dropped his face back into my neck. I closed my eyes as he gently kissed and nipped at my skin, knowing just how much pressure to use to avoid causing any visible damage, but as his hand slid up my shirt, I grabbed his wrist.

"Henry," I protested, trying to ignore his distracting mouth. "We can't, your parents are downstairs."

Henry looked up at me with a pained expression, clearly unimpressed with my hesitation.

"I don't care," He practically whined. "I can't leave without saying goodbye properly..."

I giggled quietly at his choice of words.

"Is this how people say goodbye in Jersey?"

"It is."

His answer came with a smirk and he slid his hand higher up my shirt. I didn't stop him, but I still felt unsure, like we were high school kids sneaking around.

"What if they hear us?"

"Then you'll have to be quiet and make sure that they don't."

He grinned, knowing that wasn't something I was necessarily good at, but sex with Henry was so out of this world that I found it hard to control myself. He was attentive and focused so he very quickly learned just where my buttons were and how to press them. He prided himself on making me orgasm so hard that I could barely walk by the time we were done as my legs were like jelly and it was something he achieved almost every time.

His hand slid higher until it reached my bra, gently pulling the cup down as his lips met mine in an attempt to cover the soft whimper that I let out as his fingers tweaked my nipple. He continued his action for a few moments and it was all it took to clear my mind of any objections.

"Take my shirt off," I mumbled against his lips. "Please."

"I love how sensitive your nipples are," He smirked. "Makes you practically beg for it."

My cheeks went red at his very true observation, but he did as I asked and moved back so he could rid me of my shirt and bra. Once they were discarded, he went to lay back on top of me, but I wiggled out from under him before pushing him down onto the bed. He seemed surprised by the sudden change, but as my hands went to his belt, he didn't protest.

"No one will come in, will they?"

Henry shook his head as he peered down at me so I quickly undid his pants before tapping his hips for him to lift them as I pulled his pants down. He was semi-hard once I'd gotten them out of the way and I smiled at the sight. I felt his gaze still firmly on me as I reached out and took him in my hand, stroking gently as he groaned at the sensation, growing harder in my hand. Enjoying the groans and grunts that I was causing, I leaned forward taking him in my mouth. His hips pressed up, but I held them down with my free hand as I slowly, painfully slowly, let my mouth slide further down his shaft, stretching my mouth to accommodate his size. I gagged slightly as he hit the back of my throat before pulling my head back as I worked the rest of him with my hand. His noises grew louder and I pulled back completely, letting him fall out of my mouth.

"Shhh," I teased. "You're being too loud."

I continued to stroke him lazily as he looked down at me, his cheeks flushed and his pupils blown wide with arousal. I softly licked just the tip, but I was just about to fully return my mouth to it's task when Henry growled and leaned forward, his hands going under my arms as he yanked me up the bed. I giggled as he lifted me easily so my legs were straddling his hips, but pouted slightly.

"You never let me do that for long," I sulked. "I want you to finish in my mouth one day."

I felt Henry twitch between my legs at my words, but he just smirked.

"One day," He agreed. "But not today. Today I need to be inside you."

He pressed his hips against me and I suddenly realized I was still wearing my jeans. Pressing a quick kiss to Henry's lips, I hopped off the bed. He was, once again, watching me very closely so I gave him a bit of a show. I wiggled out of my jeans as it was difficult to take tight skinny jeans off in a particularly sexy way, but once I was left in my underwear, I turned around so my back was towards him. Henry bit his lip as he watched me, moving his hand to stroke himself as I tucked my thumbs into the band of my panties and bent at the waist as I teasingly slid them down.

"Fuck, Aubrey, get over here."

His voice was deep and gravelly as he gave me his firm demand. I shot him an innocent smile, but my knees felt weak at his tone. I crawled back onto the bed, his eyes still roaming my now naked body and I slid my hands under his shirt. He sat up slightly, his stomach muscles tensing to hold the position as I removed the last article of clothing between us. His hands settled on my waist as I leaned down to kiss him, letting myself hover painfully close to his cock that laid hard on his stomach, barely ghosting over the top of it. Henry groaned in protest and, always preferring to take control, he pushed his hips up making me moan at the pressure. He thrust up a few more times as I steadied myself on his chest before he took himself into his hand, holding himself firm so I could slide down onto him.

I moved slowly and Henry let me take my time as we both savoured the sensation that we wouldn't get to experience again for a while. Once my hips were settled right down against his, I let out a quiet moan that made a smirk appear on his face.

"You need to be quiet," He reminded me, his face contorting as I rocked my hips making him fight his own sounds. "Do you need me to cover your mouth?"

The thought of him stifling any noises I made with his big hand over my mouth made me clench around him, but I shook my head as I leaned down, kissing his neck before whispering in his ear.

"No, I'll behave."

Henry grunted in response before pressing his hips up against me. I kissed him softly before pressing up onto my knees to give me the leverage I would need. I started off slowly at first, but his hands sliding up to hold my breasts as I bounced on him was all the encouragement I needed to move faster, reveling in how easy our position made it for him to get so deep inside me every time our hips collided. It didn't take long for that familiar feeling to grow in my stomach, inching closer with every tweak of my nipples from Henry. My hip movements were getting sloppy as the sensation distracted me and Henry grunted in protest, before moving his big hands to my back to pull me down against his chest.

"Are you close?" He asked, his voice low and quiet. "I can feel it, am I right?"

"Yes," I whimpered, burying my face in his shoulder.

He didn't respond, but simply held me against his chest tightly as his hips snapped up quickly against mine. The new angle created more friction as I rubbed against his stomach with every thrust and it didn't take long for the pressure to build to a peak. I gasped as I clenched around him, the urge to moan so unbearable that I had no choice, but to bite down into Henry's shoulder to keep myself quiet. Henry squeezed me tighter in response as he hissed a quiet 'fuck' under his breath, moving his hips faster and with more purpose until he finally grunted and let out a low groan as his hips stilled inside me and I felt him twitching with my overly sensitive muscles.

I laid against him for a moment before pulling away, both our chests slick with sweat from the exertion and the summer heat.

"Oh my god," I giggled, covering my mouth as I rolled off of him, curling into his side. "I left a mark!"

Henry tilted his head to the side to try to see the deep imprint of a bite mark on his shoulder that I was talking about.

"You naughty girl," He scolded, a grin on his face. "Your lucky that's in a spot that's easy to hide."

I apologized again as I gently kissed the mark, but my gleeful giggles probably gave away the fact that I was happy he'd have something that reminded him of me at least for a few days. We laid there for a moment before Henry let out a deep breath.

"We, uh, didn't use a condom..."

I was surprised by his statement because so far we'd been very good about safe sex and I was shocked that it wasn't something that either of us had thought about at all, but I kissed his shoulder reassuringly.

"I am on the pill," I informed him. "So we're good as far as that goes and I know I'm clean so that's not an issue on my end."

"It's not an issue on mine either," He assured me. "But I'm sorry. I should have asked before..."

He trailed off, but I knew what he meant and I stretched up to kiss the corner of his mouth.

"Don't worry about it," I insisted. "I was too caught up in things to even realize. It's my fault too."

He nodded and sighed before looking over at the half empty suitcase beside him.

"As much as I'd love to lay here with you forever, I really should finish packing."

"Hmmm," I sighed, pouting slightly. "Alright, I'll allow it."

I moved away to give him room to get up, but stayed on his bed watching as he got dressed without making any move to grab my own clothes.

"Are you just going to lie there?" He asked, raising an eyebrow as I shrugged.

"I don't see why not, I have plenty of time to get dressed if you still need to pack."

I shot him an innocent smile as he chuckled and threw my shirt and my jeans at me.

"These delay tactics of yours, however enjoyable, are not very helpful," He informed me, catching onto my plan. "I have a plane to catch in four hours."

"So pack then," I shrugged with a smirk as I stretched, pushing out my chest. "No one's stopping you."

Henry groaned and shook his head at my teasing before reluctantly turning his attention back to his closet, muttering to himself about how much trouble I was.

\--

Once Henry had finished packing and I, realizing he was going whether I got dressed or not, had put my clothes back on, he walked me home one last time. We walked slowly, the air heavy around us and we tightly held hands as if grasping onto each other would prevent our separation. My heart sank when we finally reached my front door.

"Do you want to come in?"

It was a genuine offer and a final desperate attempt to give us a bit more time together, but I wasn't surprised when Henry shook his head.

"I really need to get to the airport," He informed me even though I already knew that. "But I wish that I could."

I nodded, knowing he meant it and stretched up onto my toes to wrap my arms around his neck. His quickly slid around my waist, holding me tightly against him and I felt tears prick my eyes even. I knew it was a slightly dramatic reaction, but it never took much to make me cry and as I sniffled quietly against his neck, he pulled away forcing my feet to fall flat on the ground again.

"Hey, it's okay," He said softly, wiping away the stray tear that had fallen. "This isn't goodbye, we'll be together again before you know it."

"I know," I nodded, leaning into his hand. "I'm just going to miss you a lot and I'm not ready for our little bubble to burst yet."

"But it will lead us on to bigger things," He assured me before leaning down to kiss my lips softly. "I'll see you soon, okay?"

"Okay," I forced a smile to not leave him feeling too bad about leaving. "Let me know when you land in London."

"Absolutely, I'll be messaging you every chance I get."

I smiled and stretched up to kiss him one final time before we mumbled our goodbyes and I watched him walk off down the street back towards his parents house feeling a mixture of sadness at his absence and excitement of where the future would take us.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so we've come to the end of their summer adventures!  
> The next chapter should be up soon, but after that I have some plot planning to do. I had their summer all planned, but after that it's mostly just events and moments and I need to figure out how to string them together without making things disjointed.  
> Thanks for all the continued support!


	10. Chapter Ten

The rest of the summer went by fairly quickly. I missed Henry and moped for a day or two until Isla gave me a lecture on being boring and wasting the end of my summer and snapped me out of my sad mood. We worked less over the last two weeks of our trip since things were winding down in the touristy side of things so the pub was less busy and we had to get ourselves organized to leave. We made the most of our free time though, exploring the island as much as we could and basking in the sun on it's lovely beaches.

Henry and I were doing quite well at staying in touch as well. The internet really was a blessing and we managed to FaceTime or talk almost every day or send pictures of what we were doing whenever we didn't have time to actually have a conversation. Things felt good. So far, my anxiety hadn't flared up in any kind of way and it was nice to be able to do my own thing and then check back in with Henry at the end of the day to exchange stories about our own adventures. I always worried that trust would be a hard thing for me to find after Trevor, but it came easily with Henry. He had a big heart and a lot of empathy and I just couldn't picture him ever behaving like my ex had. There was, of course, a voice in the back of my head that reminded me there was a time I never would have imagined that Trevor would behave that way either, but for the most part that voice was drowned out by how caring and thoughtful Henry was being even though we were miles and miles apart.

On the last day of August, Isla and I flew back to Manchester. It was bittersweet as it was hard leaving the beautiful island where we'd had such a wonderful summer, but it was nice to finally be back in our own city and in our own flat. We'd been living in the same flat in Manchester's Northern Quarter since about a month after I moved to England. We met at work in a local bar and both needed to find new accommodation so since we got along quite well from the start we took the leap and signed a lease together and the rest is history. It was a great apartment and very cheap for where it was located with landlords that were surprisingly on the ball when it came to repairs or any issues that we had so when we decided to move to Jersey, we sublet the flat instead of ending our lease. Luckily the people we let to kept the place in good condition so our transition back to normal life was fairly easy.

Getting back into real life and finding a source of income was considerably harder. Isla was job hunting every day, applying at any bar or cafe in the area while also finding time to catch up with her boyfriend who she hadn't seen in two months and I bit the bullet and emailed my agent for the first time in well over a year. I had a few ideas bouncing around in my head, almost an outline coming together, but I needed to know if she still was still willing to represent me. It didn't take her long to respond very enthusiastically and we arranged a time to chat the following week once I'd had time to get my thoughts more in order and after I'd had the joy of spending a few days with Henry.

He was back the second week of September and by the time the day rolled around, I was bursting with excitement. 

He arrived in London at some stupidly early time in the morning so, to allow him to get some rest and fight off the jet lag, I got the ten o'clock train to arrive around noon. I told him that he didn't need to worry about meeting me, I could navigate the tube perfectly well and find his house myself, but he insisted that he would be at the station when I arrived.

\--

**"I'm by the visitor's centre, next to the entrance to the tube"**

The message from Henry came through just as I was getting off the train and I was practically vibrating from how excited I was to see him. Just knowing he was in the same building as me once again made me want to squeal with joy. There were some slight nerves that things would be awkward and strange after being apart for so long, but they never had been during our phone conversations so I was optimistic.

He was easy to spot in the crowd, leaning against a booth labelled 'visitor's centre' as promised, his broad frame and big muscles making him stand out. I saw a grin slide onto his face as he looked my way and I rushed over, throwing my arms around him as soon as I was close enough.

"I missed you!"

My words were muffled by his neck as I happily breathed in his scent, the familiarity of it easing any nerves I'd had about our reuniting. His arms were wrapped around me just as tightly and I felt him take a deep breath, his face buried in my hair.

"I missed you too," He smiled as I released my grip slightly. "Thank you for coming down to visit."

"Don't worry about it," I grinned up at him cheekily. "I have this rich boyfriend who paid for the train ticket so it was no bother."

Henry chuckled, squeezing me tighter to him.

"He sounds like quite the catch," He mused, tilting his head down to keep our conversation hushed and just between us. "You're a lucky lady."

"I am."

My words were genuine as I stretched to press my lips against his cheek. A wave of contentedness and relief washed over me at our first long break being over as I buried my face in his neck once again. I could have stayed there, in his arms for hours, but a sudden shove and a quick mumbled apology reminded me that we were in fact still in a very busy train station. Henry seemed to have the same realization as he released his tight grip on my waist.

"Are you hungry?" He asked, picking up the bag that I'd dropped by our feet in my rush to hug him. "Would you like to get some lunch?"

I nodded and he smiled, holding out his hand for me to hold.

"You're looking very Clark Kent-y today," I teased as we walked down the street. "Sunglasses and a baseball hat is all you need to change your identity?"

He chuckled as he nodded.

"I tend to blend in quite well, even without a disguise I don't get stopped all that often."

"That's good," I smiled. "Because I prefer seeing your curls free than tucked away under a hat."

"I prefer it as well," He admitted. "But I had some trouble on my way here so I think it's safer for now to keep them under wraps."

I frowned at that statement as Henry led me down a side road clearly having somewhere in mind for lunch.

"What kind of trouble?"

"Nothing too crazy," He assured me. "But there were a few pesky paps that were giving me some grief when I got to the tube near my house."

"That's annoying," I told him, my brow furrowed in displeasure. "Especially after you've had a long day with your late flight, I'm sure you weren't in the mood for loads of cameras in your face."

"I wasn't," He nodded. "But they have a job to do so I try to be understanding and polite, but these two were persistent."

"I'm sorry, that sucks," I sighed. "I should have just met you at your house."

I squeezed his hand as he shrugged and rushed to reassure me, but I knew what he was thinking. We'd talked a lot about his fame over the summer and I knew it all still felt very unreal to him at times and because of that he never took it for granted. Sure, paparazzi were annoying and sure, he didn't always want to take pictures with fans, but it was all part of the job and he was more than happy to deal with it if it meant he got to continue doing what he loved. I understood his feelings at least when it came to the fans, but with the paparazzi I disagreed. Yes, they had a job to do, but it was an unnecessary and intrusive job that preyed on catching people in private or unflattering moments just to get a better headline. The kind of person who voluntarily took that job was not the kind of person I could feel sympathy for.

The place that Henry was leading me to was only a few short blocks from the station. It was a small little cafe that was tucked down a quiet street and we were quickly seated by the window. Once we were settled, Henry finally took his sunglasses off and I got to see his beautiful eyes for the first time in far too long.

"I missed you," I told him again, reaching out to take his hand as my heart swelled at the sight of his baby blues. "And your handsome face."

"I missed you too," Henry assured me, squeezing my hand gently as they brought us some water for the table.

We browsed the menu quickly and ordered our food before settling in to catch up.

"So, how was America?"

"Great," Henry grinned. "I managed to squeeze in time to go to a football game which is always a massive bonus."

"Like American football?" I questioned with a raised eyebrow. "I didn't know you Brits were into that."

"This Brit is!" He told me proudly. "Kansas City is my team and I've only had the pleasure of seeing them play a couple of times, but this time they won!"

I laughed, shaking my head at his excitement.

"I can't believe I'm dating a sports fan," I playfully rolled my eyes. "First rugby and now football? Gross."

Henry stuck his tongue out at me, making me giggle.

"That reminds me actually," He announced, picking up his phone. "I think there's a rugby match tomorrow. We can watch it and I can educate you on it's brilliance."

"I don't need educating," I groaned in protest as he checked the schedule on his phone and confirmed his suspicions. "Everyone knows the only sport worth watching is hockey and even that is best in small doses."

"Do you have a team?"

"A hockey team?" He nodded at my clarification as he put his phone back on the table. "I guess by default it would have to be the Toronto Maple Leafs, but we haven't won the Stanley Cup since 1967 so they're not much to brag about."

"That's a fair assessment, fifty-two years is a long time," Henry laughed as I smiled and nodded in agreement. "So, tell me all about this new book of yours! Have you started it yet?"

"Not really," I admitted, feeling the excitement bubble in my stomach as I thought about it. "I've been in touch with my agent, you know, to see if there's still interest and then I've started a vague outline, but I haven't actually started writing it yet. It's a long process and I could use some of that strict self-discipline that you have."

"Oh really?"

"Yes," I nodded. "It's embarrassingly difficult for me to sit down at my laptop and just write. I mean, it doesn't help that my laptop is shit and the program I use constantly freezes, but, even if I didn't have those delays, with social media and the internet around it's so easy to get off task."

"I can see how that would be difficult," He smiled. "But I can't wait to read it. I was thinking of reading your other books actually."

My cheeks blushed at the thought. I was proud of them and they did fairly well for the genre, but I always got nervous showing my work to people I cared about. If a critic hated it then I would survive, but if someone who's opinion I respected thought it was garbage then I would be devastated. Plus, the thought of Henry reading the more steamy parts that came from my imagination added another hint of awkwardness.

I was about to tell him that I would try to track down a copy for him despite my embarrassment when I noticed something in the window of a car across the narrow street. I squinted to get a better look, catching Henry's attention as well.

"I think someone's taking picture of us," I informed him as I was pretty sure I could see a long lens camera poking out of the car's window. "Am I just being paranoid?"

"No, you're not," Henry sighed, letting go of my hand as the waitress put down our food before turning his attention back out of the window. "Those two are the trouble I mentioned at the tube. I had thought I noticed one following me to the train station, but I would have thought they'd lose interest by now."

"Must be a slow news day if they've spent their entire day watching you."

I was joking to try and lighten the mood, but Henry nodded as he laughed.

"That's true actually," He admitted. "I rarely get this much attention especially as I'm somewhat between projects. The hype for The Witcher hasn't started yet and the chaos of Superman has mostly died down."

He seemed tense and anxious and as much as I was uncomfortable with the photographers, I didn't want it to ruin our day.

"It's probably because you're so hot," I teased, rubbing his leg with my foot in what I hoped would be a soothing gesture that their prying camera couldn't see. "Who wouldn't want to photograph you?"

"Or maybe it's because of the gorgeous lady that I'm with," He smiled briefly before his worried look returned. "But are you okay? Shall we move to a table away from the window?"

I thought about his offer for a moment, but shook my head.

"It's fine," I insisted. "Let's not let them bother us."

Henry nodded and we fell back into our conversation as we ate our food. We were both aware of the camera pointing at us the entire time, but it was easy enough to ignore it as we had plenty to catch up on.

\--

As we left the little cafe, our new friends took a few pictures, but luckily they seemed to disappear after that. We took our time wandering to the nearest underground station, popping in a few cute little shops on the way, but it soon became obvious that Henry's jet lag was catching up to him as he struggled to stifle his yawns and I suggested we stop dawdling and head back to his place.

"Brace yourself..."

He smiled as he warned me and unlocked the door before a massive ball of fur bombarded us. I giggled and dropped to my knees, letting Kal jump around, licking any available skin he could get, soaking it all in before Henry gave him a stern warning to behave and the very obedient dog sat in front of me, his tail wagging frantically.

"Awwe, did you miss me, buddy?"

He boofed in response as I scratched his chin and he fought to lick my hand.

"We both did," Henry informed me, holding out his hand to help me to my feet before letting his hands drift to my waist. "And now we're alone, I can finally say hello to you properly."

He bent his head down to hover his lips above mine as I smiled and draped my arms around his neck.

"Oh? How would that be?"

My voice was low and the words barely left my mouth before Henry's pressed against it. I couldn't help, but smile against his lips as I relaxed into him. Even after our time apart, it was like second nature how our lips moved together and I'd missed it desperately. The passion in even his most gentle kisses took my breath away and as he slipped his tongue past my lips, I felt my knees go weak.

"Wow," I sighed once we finally parted. "That was quite the hello..."

"I've been wanting to do it all day," Henry smiled, resting his forehead against mine before stepping back and adjusting my bag on his shoulder and heading to the stairs. "I just didn't want those nosy men to take our photo."

"About that..." I started as I followed him up the stairs. "When will those pictures they took be out? Would it be Monday morning?"

Henry shot me a confused look before he realized what I meant and laughed.

"No, sweetheart, this isn't the fifties," He teased, still chuckling. "They don't wait for the next printed magazine or newspaper, they'll be up tonight. They might even be up already on Twitter or Instagram."

"Oh, right, of course," I giggled at my own silliness as we walked into the master bedroom. Fully intending to try and coax my tired boyfriend into taking a nap, I sat on the bed and mulled over his words. "Do you think maybe we should get ahead of it?"

As I'd hoped, Henry joined me on the bed once he'd discarded my bag near his closet. He leaned back against the headboard and waited for me to cuddle into his side before he answered.

"What do you mean?" He asked softly as he draped his arm around my shoulder, rubbing it gently with his thumb. "Are you feeling okay with all this? Are you upset?"

"No, not at all," I rushed to assure him, appreciating how he was always quick to check in with me. "I figured there'd be paps eventually, but I think that I'd feel better if maybe we posted about us first."

"Ah, I understand," He nodded as he thought it over. "Well, from my experience they do tend to back off if you're open about things. When there's no mystery or scoop to sniff out, they lose interest."

"Exactly," I agreed. "So, is it okay if I post a picture of you?"

"Of course, you can post anything you like at any time. I won't censor you."

"I know that," I insisted. "But I also know your situation makes things different and if you'd prefer to keep things private, I can appreciate that."

"I'm pretty open on social media," He shrugged, lifting his hips to pull his own phone out of his pocket. "Not unnecessarily, I don't over share, but I let people know what's going on in my life."

I watched as he unlocked his phone and opened his Instagram app.

"Are you going to post something too?"

He paused his actions at my question and looked down at me with his eyebrow lifted.

"Well, yes, that only seems fair," He pointed out. "Is that okay?"

I nodded, feeling a hint of excitement in my stomach amongst the nerves of his ten million followers knowing of my existence and that this handsome man was mine.

"As long as I get to choose the photo."

Henry laughed as I tried to grab his phone and he pulled it away just in time. I smiled and stretched to reach it, but my efforts were fruitless.

"Get off," He shoved me playfully. "I'll pick it, but I'll let you approve it."

I rolled my eyes, but relented as he opened the gallery on his phone. I peeked down at it as he scrolled and giggled.

"Wow, lots of selfies there, Henry," I teased as most of the pics from the last month were of himself or Kal. "Awe, that ones cute!"

I pointed to a picture of Kal and I laying in the grass on a sunny day, but Henry shook his head.

"It's not very clear, you can see more of Kal than of you," He pointed out before settling on one he took during one of our many longs walks in Jersey. "This one. This is my favourite."

I remember him taking the picture. I'd been teasing him about a photo shoot of his that I'd found online of him trying to look particularly sultry and had done my best impression, tucking my hands into my front pockets, tousling my hair and looking back over my shoulder at him. He'd snapped it at just the right moment and, really, it was a good [photo](https://66.media.tumblr.com/f17fcc82d6b325f392aff58e26c71915/300832233adcc823-64/s540x810/ea823d78fbfc6c221003e9e8cf315a9ca5c4854e.png).

"You just like it because my bum looks nice," I giggled as Henry chuckled and zoomed in on it briefly until I swatted his hand away. "But it is a good picture, you can use it."

He nodded and opened Instagram again. I tried to keep watching his phone, but he tilted it so that I couldn't see, laughing as I whined in protest.

"You can see what I write once it's posted," He insisted. "Now, what picture are you going to use?"

I pondered his question as I scrolled through my photos while he typed frantically on his phone, pausing every now and then to make an edit. I quickly settled on a [picture](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/images/04-cavil-267-1573670353.png?resize=480:*) I'd taken of him in the apartment Isla and I were living in over the summer. It was from an evening in our last week together when Isla and I had invited a few people over for drinks. He was leaning on the door frame of my bedroom, laughing at something that Logan had said and I couldn't resist taking a picture to capture the moment. It matched the black and white theme of his picture choice as well so it was perfect.

I showed it to Henry and he nodded in approval before chuckling.

"That wallpaper was awful," He teased as I laughed. "I hope your flat in Manchester is more nicely decorated."

"Shut up, we didn't choose it," I reminded him, nudging his arm gently in protest. "We have much better taste than that."

"I would hope so."

He returned his attention back to the post he was creating as I started writing my caption as well. After a few moments of silence we were both finished and our posts were out there for the world to see. I refreshed my feed to see Henry's post appear at the top above my own.

**"Sometimes you meet someone by chance who makes you realize what you've been missing. This is that someone for me. Please be respectful. She deserves nothing, but praise and kind thoughts. @aubreythomps"**

My heart melted at his words, appreciating his encouragement for them to be nice to me and I wished I'd been slightly more romantic in my own post as Henry read it out loud.

**"Turns out Superman is a pretty great guy. I guess this means I'm the new Lois Lane...And I couldn't be happier. @henrycavill"**

"Sorry it's not more romantic," I apologized as he smiled and shook his head, kissing the top of mine before I reached out and took his phone away. "Now, can we turn these off for a while?"

I switched mine off and waited for his approval before doing the same to his.

"Are you scared?" He asked, concern evident in his voice again. "Do you not want to see what they say?"

"That's not it," I assured him, putting our phones on the nightstand before crawling over and straddling his lap. "But we've not seen each other in a month. I want us to be able to enjoy getting reacquainted without all that noise distracting us."

"Hmm," Henry grinned, his hands settling on my hips. "I think I like that plan."

I smiled and leaned down to kiss him, putting our plan into motion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I split this one into two and the next chapter is almost finished so another update will be soon!  
> There's a lot of instability in my life at the moment and writing this story is a great distraction (especially knowing there's people who love reading) so I'll do my best to keep the updates as frequent as possible, but please bear with me if it's takes a bit longer!


	11. Chapter Eleven

After re-familiarizing ourselves with each other's bodies and taking a short nap, I woke up to the sound of Henry's en suite bathroom door closing. I rolled over and turned my phone back on, but immediately regretted it as all the texts and missed calls flooded through. Once my phone had stopped having a little meltdown at all the notifications it had to process, I took a deep breath and opened the messages.

The first one was from Isla and I couldn't help, but smile. She was excited and happy for me now that we were "Instagram official" and reminded me that she was always there if my 'new fame' was too much. I quickly realized what she meant as I noticed my Instagram followers had gone from a respectable amount to over fifty thousand. I flicked back to my messages though and groaned into Henry's pillow.

"What?" I heard him ask as he came back out of the bathroom, a pair of sweatpants hanging low on his hips. "Is everything okay?"

"It will be," I sighed, sitting up properly. "It's just my sister...I didn't tell any of my family about us."

"Why?" Henry's brow furrowed as he sat on the end of the bed.

"Because of this..."

I held out my phone to show him the message from my sister, hoping he wouldn't take offence to my secrecy once he saw what I was dealing with.

**"Sleeping with some famous actor won't make you anymore successful. You need to find some actual talent for that."**

"Well, that's harsh," Henry frowned, making me scoff and shake my head.

"That's tame for Mel," I informed him, turning back to my phone and scrolling through some more messages. "She hates me."

I saw Henry's frown deepen out of the corner of my eye.

"C'mon," He stood up, gesturing to the door. "I need to let Kal out, but then I want to hear about this and how anyone could possibly ever hate you."

I smiled half-heartedly at his flattery and quickly threw on the t-shirt he'd discarded earlier. I glanced in the mirror to make sure it wasn't too scandalous, but our notable size difference made it fit me like a dress. Henry let out a quiet groan of what I took as approval as he looked at me appreciatively before taking my hand and leading me down the stairs. Once we were in the kitchen, I perched on a bar stool as he whistled for Kal as he opened the sliding door at the back of the room.

I returned my attention back to my phone, answering the few messages that deserved a response before my boys reappeared.

"This is another gem..." I held out my phone as they came back inside showing a message from my mother saying she'd heard from my sister and was proud of me. "She didn't even say she was proud of me when I wrote and published two novels, but she's proud of me for getting a hot boyfriend?"

Henry chuckled despite my clear annoyance and got a bottle of wine out of the fridge.

"Would you like a glass?"

"You're amazing," I smiled. "Yes, please."

He poured me a glass and got a beer for himself before he sat down next to me.

"So, tell me about your family," He asked. "You don't talk about them much."

I put my phone down for the time being, playing with the stem of the glass in front of me.

"Probably because it's a buzz kill," I explained. "Especially compared to your amazing, close, loving family."

"You're not close?"

"With my brother, I am," I told him with a sigh. "But no one else. My father is just not an affectionate guy, I guess. He was always at work, we never really had a chance to bond. My mother and I just don't see eye to eye. She had different plans for my life than I did, but all she really cares about is being able to brag to her friends which is probably why she's now proud I've provided her with material for that."

Henry laughed, listening intently to my every word as I rolled my eyes

"And your sister?"

"She hates me," I repeated, taking a sip of the cold wine in front of me. "I think she was jealous when I was born since we're just barely over a year apart and she just never forgave me for it. She's spent her entire life knocking me down whenever she gets a chance. I don't think she's ever said a single nice thing to me."

"She sounds delightful," Henry smirked. "But you're close with your brother? Tell me about him."

"He's great," I smiled. "He's eight years older, but he's always looked out for me. He's actually the one who encouraged me to be a writer when everyone else told me I was being silly. He's a lawyer, but a good one, I mean, like a nice one. He's not in it just for the money, he wants to put bad people in jail. Plus, he does a lot of pro bono work on the side too. My sister-in-law is a therapist who works with the police to help victims of sexual assault so he ends up taking on a lot of her cases to make sure those victims get the justice they deserve when most prosecutors wouldn't bother taking it to trial."

"He sounds like a great guy," Henry smiled. "I'm glad you have someone to turn to if you need it."

"I have Isla too," I shrugged. "She's like a sister to me anyway. But I do think you and my brother would get along. I don't know if he's played the Witcher games, but he was big into another one...something about warcraft?"

"World of Warcraft?" Henry's face lit up as I nodded at his guess. "That's my favourite! I play it whenever I have time. Does your brother still play?"

"I think so," I smiled at his excitement. "But probably not as often as he'd like. When his job isn't keeping him busy, his three kids are."

"That's fair," Henry grinned mischievously, sipping his beer. "Maybe the next time I'm in Toronto, I'll track him down and we can play together."

"Fine by me," I leaned on his shoulder. "Just don't listen to anything he says about me, okay? It's all lies unless it's flattering."

"Well it's only fair for me to hear some stories," He chuckled. "You heard plenty from my brothers."

"And they were nothing, but nice about you."

I smirked, knowing that they'd slipped in a few more embarrassing tales and the way Henry rolled his eyes told me that he knew that as well.

"So, I haven't checked my phone yet," He informed me. "What's the general consensus?"

I picked my phone up off the counter and opened Instagram, clicking on the comments below the picture he posted of me. I was quite shocked to see that most of the comments were actually quite nice. Plenty of people commented on my looks, but most people were quite kind and generous with their compliments. There was the odd, miserable person who felt the need to share their disgust, but those people were definitely a minority.

"Awe, MarenaLuna said 'beautiful girl for a beautiful man, love to you both'," I read out loud. "That's really sweet."

"Some of my fans are very nice people," Henry said proudly. "And then there's ones like that."

He pointed to a comment that was focused mainly on my ass and how Henry must love to 'tear it up'. He scoffed, but I giggled.

"It's a compliment," I shrugged. "Better than this one from HenryCavillfansforlife which says you must be getting desperate to settle for someone so clearly not your type complete with 'hashtag he can do better'."

Henry frowned and shook his head.

"They don't know anything about my type," He reminded me. "Just ignore people like that."

"I will, I know it's just jealousy," I smiled, scrolling some more before a name with a blue tick popped up. "Who's Joey Batey?"

"Why?" Henry smiled at the mention of this person, but had a suspicious look on his face. "What has he said?"

"He wants to know how on earth you managed to get someone as gorgeous as me and then someone named...Lauren Hissrich said it must be some kind of Witcher magic."

I smirked as Henry's cheeks tinged pink at their comments.

"Joey is one of my co-stars on the Witcher," He explained. "And Lauren is the show runner."

"You guys must be pretty close then," I giggled. "If they don't mind taking the piss out of you like that."

Henry laughed at my choice of words and shook his head.

"They don't mind at all, Joey does it constantly," He smiled fondly. "It's a great team, we all became like a family. Everyone's very invested in the show."

"I bet it's great, I can't wait to see it," I told him genuinely. "Do I get to see it in advance or do I have to wait like everyone else?"

"You have to wait," He smirked. "But if you're really eager for a sneak peak, you could always accompany me to the premiere..."

He looked a bit sheepish, almost nervous to ask me and my heart melted at the sight.

"I would love to," I smiled, leaning on his shoulder again. "When is it?"

"Not until December, the sixteenth I believe."

I pulled back to look up at him, my confusion all over my face.

"When does the show come out?"

"On the twentieth."

I scoffed at his answer.

"That's hardly a sneak peak then," I pouted. "It's only four days."

"It's the best I can do, I'm afraid," He chuckled at my sulking. "They're keeping it under lock and key until then."

"Ugh," I sighed dramatically. "Fine then, I guess being your date is my best shot at seeing it early."

"See, there are a few perks to keeping me around," He joked as he finished his beer. "Now, what would you like to do tonight?"

I shrugged as he got off the stool to get himself another drink and top off my wine.

"I'm really not bothered as long as we're together," I told him, not meaning to sound as cheesy as I did. He put his hand on his heart and aww'd quietly clearly mocking me and jumped just in time to avoid the pen I threw at him. "Don't make fun of me, you big goof. I just meant that I don't mind. We can stay in if you're tired or go out if you feel like soaking up London after being away."

"I'm fine with staying in if you are," Henry decided after a moment of thought. "We can soak up London tomorrow, but I'm happy to have you all to myself for tonight."

"I'm happy with that too," I smiled as nodded his head to the living room, waiting for me to hop off the bar stool before walking out of the room "Also, from what I hear, there isn't much to soak up in London...."

Henry shot me a confused look before realization dawned on him.

"Have all those fuckin' Mancunians been talkin' shit about my city?"

His question was asked in his best northern accent and I burst into laughter as I flopped onto his amazingly soft and comfortable couch. 

"They have!" I told him as he sat down next to me, lifting my legs over his lap as he grabbed the remote off the floor. "Haven't heard a good thing about this city since I moved here."

Henry scoffed as Kal sauntered over to lay on the floor in front of us.

"And what's so good about Manchester?" He asked. "What big exciting attractions do they have there?"

"A football museum?" I shrugged. "Some canals?"

"Sounds thrilling..."

Henry's tone was dry and laced with sarcasm drawing a laugh from me as I tapped him indignantly with my foot.

"It's a good city," I insisted. "With good people. And there's so many amazing places to eat and drink. It's a fun place to be."

"I'll take your word for it," He teased when an idea popped into my head.

"Or, you could come visit?" I suggested. "Maybe the week after next if you're in the country?"

"What dates?" He asked, his brow furrowed in thought. "I'm off to Shanghai for an event with Hugo Boss in mid-October, but I have no major commitments until then."

"Maybe the week of the first?" I asked hopefully. "My birthday is on the fifth so we're going out that weekend. You don't have to come for that if you don't want to and I'll understand if you can't come at all, but it would be nice to see you on the day."

I rushed through my suggestion, not wanting him to feel obligated to do as I'd asked just because it's my birthday, but he smiled and nodded.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me it was so soon, but I would love to come for your birthday," He assured me, rubbing my shin softly. "I don't leave until tenth so there's plenty of time. Shall I come for the week?"

"If you have the time," I grinned, excitedly. "I'd love to show you around!"

"Consider it done," He smiled, taking a sip of his drink as he flicked on the TV.

I stared at the profile of his face from my spot on the couch and a wave of happiness washed over me. Four months ago I never would have imagined that I'd be curled up on the couch with a man so sweet, generous, considerate and thoughtful as Henry with a dog by our feet to make the perfect picture complete. I don't know what I did to get so lucky, but I was grateful and willing to do whatever it took to keep things between us so happy and good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made up the Instagram usernames so no offence if they belong to anyone haha
> 
> Thanks again for all the support! :)


	12. Chapter Twelve

We enjoyed a quiet evening in at Henry's that first night I was in London, but the next day was a busy one. Henry was up before me and by the time I'd wandered downstairs, he'd made breakfast. It quickly became obvious though, through our conversation, that he was doing it to win me over because he wanted us to spend half the afternoon at a pub watching rugby. When he saw the face I pulled at that suggestion, he got a bit more creative, explaining that some of his friends would be there who he _desperately_ wanted me to meet and that it was one of his favourite Sunday activities and he so _badly_ wanted to share it with me

It was all very dramatic and done with a smirk that led me to believe he was exaggerating, but with a roll of my eyes I agreed. As long as it wasn't the whole day. Henry assured me that it wouldn't be as he had other plans for our evening that, despite my persistent questioning, I was told no more information about.

We had a nice, lazy morning, other than the shared shower that turned into quite a workout and around noon, we headed off to the pub to meet Henry's friends. We were walking hand in hand until we reached the door when I let my hand drop from his. Freezing with his hand on the door handle, Henry turned to me.

"Are you okay?"

"Of course," I smiled. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Why did you let go of my hand?"

I hadn't even really realized that I'd done it, but I shrugged.

"I guess I didn't know if you'd be cool with PDA in front of your friends."

"Is holding hands really classed as 'PDA'?" Henry looked confused and let his hand drop from the door before leading me over to a bench a few steps away. "I brought you here because I want you to meet my friends and get to know them. Why would I be concerned about holding your hand in front of them?"

I shrugged, looking down. It was on the tip of my tongue to tell him that Trevor never let me show him any affection in public, probably because he didn't want other women to know he wasn't single, but I didn't want to bring it all up again.

"I guess I'm just nervous," I smiled to reassure him. "I didn't even think about it, really."

Henry watched me for a moment, not looking entirely convinced by my explanation.

"I'm proud of you," He finally told me, apparently reading my actions better than I would have expected. "I can't wait to show you off to everyone I know."

"And I can't wait to meet them."

My words were honest and Henry seemed satisfied as he took my hand again and led me back to the door.

It turns out, I had nothing to worry about. Maybe he was over compensating for my misconception earlier, but Henry was the perfect, doting boyfriend all afternoon. He held my hand, kissed my head, teased me, laughed when I teased him. His friends were lovely, most of them from his time at boarding school and regaled me with tales of 'Fat Cavill'. I giggled along as he chuckled, but I could see the hint of a blush on his cheeks and the shift in his body language that told me it wasn't a nickname he thought of fondly. I made a note to chat with him about that at a more private time and settled for a comforting squeeze of his hand for the time being.

About an hour and a half into our afternoon, my phone rang and, to my surprise, my brother's face appeared on the screen.

"I have to take this," I told Henry apologetically. "I won't be long. Would you like a drink on my way back?"

Henry shook his head and pressed a kiss to my cheek before letting me slip outside to get some privacy.

"Hey, Eric," I smiled, resting my phone onto my shoulder as I fished a cigarette out of my bag.

"Do you need my services?"

"What?" I asked as I lit my cig, confused by his bluntness. "What are you talking about?"

"Do you need legal advice?" He clarified. "Did you murder someone? Rob a bank? Set fire to a building?"

I laughed at his ridiculous suggestions, but was still no wiser about why he had called.

"Of course not," I assured him. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm just trying to figure out why our dear sister called me last night having a meltdown about your life choices, that's all."

I rolled my eyes as it finally all became clear.

"Because she's a crazy, and probably jealous, bitch," I explained, earning a chuckle from him. "But I promise you that I haven't broken any laws."

"Great," I could hear the grin in his voice. "So, what's got her so worked up?"

"She didn't tell you?"

"No, I think she'd been drinking," He explained. "It was just a lot of screeching about how you always have to show off and you'll get what you deserve one day."

"Well, that's ominous," I scoffed. "Please remember she said that if I ever go missing."

Eric laughed before pressing me again.

"So, what did you do now?"

"I got a boyfriend," I confessed. "A very hot, famous boyfriend. She probably can't stand it since her fiance looks like a troll."

"Don't be mean," Eric scolded, but I could hear the smile in his voice. "Is this new boyfriend anyone I would know?"

"Does the name Henry Cavill ring any bells?"

There was silence on the line before Eric spoke again.

"Aubrey, are you serious?" He asked, his disbelief obvious from his tone. "Even I would fuck him."

"Eric!" I laughed, shocked by his crude statement. "I am serious. We've been together for a couple of months now, we met in Jersey over the summer."

"And are you happy?"

"Very much so."

"And does he treat you well?" He asked, his voice filled with concern. "Better than the last asshole?"

"Absolutely," I smiled, taking a drag of my cigarette as I reflected on just how well Henry did treat me. "He's really great. He's patient and so kind. He's considerate of my feelings and he reassures me when I feel insecure because of how Trevor was. I couldn't ask for anyone better."

"I'm glad to hear that, Bree, you deserve it," He told me sincerely. "Will I get to meet him soon? Is he coming home for Christmas with you?"

"Definitely not. I don't even know if I'm coming home for Christmas this year."

"I thought you booked your flights months ago?"

"I did, but I got cancellation insurance," I admitted, putting out my cigarette and tossing it in the bin. "I just don't know if I can deal with the drama. Melissa will be even worse than normal with this new development and Mom will just annoy me. She told me she was proud of me. I've wanted to hear that my whole life and she said it over a man. How demeaning of all my accomplishments it that?"

"Alright, you little feminist," He teased. "That is rude, but I've always been proud of you and I want to see you. The kids do too, they'll be so disappointed if they don't get to see Auntie Bree."

"That's a low blow," I mumbled. "Dragging the kids into it."

"Whatever gets you here!" He chuckled. "Preferably with the new boyfriend so I can size him up and give him the old 'what are your intentions with my sister' talk."

"Before or after you try to fuck him?" I joked, referring to his earlier comment and earning a hearty laugh that made my heart clench with homesickness. "You'd love him though. He plays World of Warcraft and have you ever played the Witcher games?"

"Yeah, they're great. Why?"

"His new project is a Netflix series based on the books that the game is based on," I informed him. "He plays...Jared?"

"Geralt?" He corrected and I 'hmm'd in confirmation. "Oh my god, that's amazing! Keep your claws in this one, Aubrey, he sounds like a keeper."

I laughed and rolled my eyes as I heard a tiny voice in the background calling for her daddy. Another wave of homesickness washed over me at the sound of my niece, but I fought it back, knowing that I would be going for Christmas and would see them all very soon.

"I gotta go," Eric told me after a moment of conversation with the child that had interrupted us. "There's a crayon crisis that will turn into World War Three if I don't intervene. But I'm glad you're happy, you deserve it and try not to let Melissa or Mom bring you down, okay?"

"Okay," I agreed with a sigh. "Say hi to Steph and the kids for me."

"I will," Eric assured me. "You say hi to Henry for me!"

I laughed, but promised I'd do as he asked before we said our goodbyes and hung up. I made my way back inside and settled back into my seat next to Henry as everyone else's eyes were glued to the many televisions around the pub as, apparently, something exciting was happening in the match.

"Everything alright?" Henry asked, resting his arm on the back of my chair.

"Yeah, my sister had a meltdown and called my brother about it so he just wanted to check on me," I explained quietly. "Also, I think he has a crush on you."

Henry tossed his head back laughing at that as everyone else in the room cheered at the TV.

"What makes you think that?"

"He made some comments that I won't repeat," I smiled. "But he said you sound like a keeper and wants to meet you, he wanted you to come for Christmas."

I said it with a scoff, thinking the idea was wholly ridiculous, but a soft smile slid onto Henry's face.

"I could do that."

I froze at his words, frantically shaking my head.

"No, no, that's fine," I insisted. "I don't want you to."

He looked taken aback at my words and I realized that once again, things weren't coming out right.

"You don't want me to?"

He sounded hurt and I instantly felt bad.

"I didn't mean it like that," I tried to explain. "I just don't think it's a good idea. I don't even want to go really, but I do want to see my brother and his family so I have to. I just think it would be better to introduce you another time like when my mother and sister are out of town."

"Hard to introduce me to people who aren't there."

Henry's point was made with the raise of an eyebrow and I simply shrugged as I took a sip from the drink in front of me. It was empty, just ice now, but it gave me something to do with my hands.

"Can we talk about this later?" I asked quietly as the match turned to ads and everyone's attention was drifting back to the table.

Henry nodded and thankfully let the subject drop.

\--

We spent another hour at the pub with Henry's friends before setting off back to his house. It had been much more fun than I expected, probably more to do with the pleasant company than my sudden enjoyment of sports, but we'd had a lovely afternoon. I was worried that Henry would bring up our earlier misunderstanding as soon as we were alone, but luckily it seemed to have slipped from his mind for the time being.

"So, what is your big secret plan for the rest of the evening?" I asked once we were back at his house, watching from his back patio as Kal sprinted up and down the garden while he sniffed out a place to do his business. "Are we going out again?"

"Yes," Henry nodded, a mischievous glint in his eye. "For dinner."

"Where?" I pried, but all I got in response was a smirk and a shrug. "How am I supposed to know how to dress if you don't tell me where we're going?"

"You always look amazing," Henry assured me. "It doesn't matter what you wear."

I groaned at his secrecy.

"Can you at least tell me how many stars it is?" I whined. "There's a big difference in how I would dress for a two-star diner versus a five star restaurant."

"Five stars? Wow," Henry chuckled. "Someone thinks they're getting spoiled tonight."

I blushed at his teasing, but he wrapped his arm around me and pulled me to his chest, kissing the top of my head softly.

"It has a few stars," He finally admitted. "More than two, but less than five. It's nice, but not pretentious so wear something dressy, but nothing too formal."

"Thank you," I smiled up at him. "That's much more helpful. Can I use your shower?"

"Of course," Henry placed a soft kiss on my lips. "The reservation is for six so you can take all the time you need."

I nodded before wiggling out of his arms and heading inside to get ready.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I don't super love this chapter, but it does touch on some important things for our lovely couple....  
> I've been dying in bed for the last week with the worst flu I think I have ever had and I wrote it while dosed up on a variety of brain numbing medications so forgive me if it's not my best work haha Originally the whole day was all going to be one part, but I know it's been almost a full week since I posted anything so I wanted to get this up for you all.   
> The rest of their evening will be posted hopefully on the weekend!


	13. Chapter Thirteen

Almost two hours later, just around quarter after five, I finally wandered out of Henry's bedroom, tousling my hair to spruce up my fresh waves. My heels clicked on his hardwood floors as I headed into the living room, stopping in the doorway as the sight before me drew a giggle from my lips. Henry, dressed in a nice dark blue dress shirt and dress pants, was sitting on his couch with a controller in his hand, jumping and growling as the characters on the screen attacked some kind of monster. I watched with amusement until he defeated his foe and relaxed against the couch before I went over, leaning down to wrap my arms around his shoulders. He jumped slightly at the contact before pausing the game and turning his head to face me.

"What are you doing?" I asked, a smile on my face.

"You were taking too long," He teased. "I got bored."

"Looking this good takes a lot of effort," I defended myself, pulling back slightly to look at the screen. "What game is it?"

Henry looked a bit sheepish as he answered.

"Witcher Three," He told me. "It's research, for work."

I laughed and stood up straight.

"You're cute," I teased. "Maybe later you can show me how to play?"

"You'd want to learn?"

He seemed surprised by my answer, but I shrugged.

"I grew up watching my brother play games like this," I reminded him. "He'd never let me play, but it always looked fun."

"I'd love to show you," Henry grinned before looking at his watch. "But now, we need to leave or we'll miss our reservation."

I nodded and watched as he turned off the game before standing from the couch and slipping his jacket on.

"You look nice," I told him as he came around to my side of the couch. I slipped my hands under his jacket, feeling the soft material of his shirt covering his strong muscles. "Did I dress appropriately?"

"You look perfect," He assured me before pressing another soft kiss against my lips. I could smell his cologne as I pressed myself closer to him and was tempted to suggest we skip dinner, but as if he read my mind, he pulled back. "We need to go, but we can return to this later." 

\--

The restaurant he took me to was a nice little bistro quite close to the London Bridge. It was fancy, but not over the top and even though it was quite small, we managed to get a table in a corner that sheltered us from prying eyes or anyone with a camera. We made small talk as I asked Henry's opinion on the menu as he mentioned he'd been a few times before, but once we were settled with our order's placed and a bottle of very nice red wine on the table, I took things a bit deeper.

"So," I started, hoping that he wouldn't take too much offence to my next question. "What's up with your friends calling you 'Fat Cavill'?"

Henry laughed, shaking his head.

"Well, it was an accurate name when I met them," He explained. "I was fat and my name is Cavill."

"I'm sure you weren't fat," I smiled. "But it seems mean for your friends to make fun of you if you were."

"My dad always said I stayed the same weight from about thirteen to twenty-five, I just got taller," He smirked as I held back a laugh, almost choking on my wine in the process. "So yes, I was fat."

"Well, it still seems mean for them to pick on you for it," I repeated, remembering his somewhat tense body language when it was brought up earlier that day. "Thirteen is an awkward stage, lots of people are chubby at that age."

"It was all done with love," Henry assured me, but it was followed by a sigh as he opened up. "It did bother me at the time though. All of my brothers were quite slim and so were my friends at school so it made me feel insecure being bigger than everyone and the name didn't help. I laughed along and pretended not to care because that would only make it more embarrassing, if I admitted that I didn't want to be fat, but now it's so far from the truth that it doesn't bother me."

"Yeah, you really showed them, with your chiseled body and sex symbol status," I teased, making his cheeks go pink as he smirked. "But I hope you know that your weight or size doesn't matter. You can change those things if you really want to, but you have such a lovely heart and that's not something that's so easily changed."

"Exactly, and that is why these muscles are not for vanity, but for sword fighting," He smiled as I giggled, knowing it was true that he worked on his fitness more for his endurance during stunts than for appearance. "But if I have such a good heart then why don't you want your family to meet me?"

He smirked and sipped his wine as my jaw dropped at his subject change.

"That is so not what I said," I insisted after I'd recovered from his blunt question. "I said that I don't want you to meet them."

"Sounds like the same thing to me, just phrased differently."

"No, because you are not the problem. They are," I insisted. "My brother you can meet, no problem. My dad probably won't care at all anyway. But my mom and my sister? I don't want to subject you to that. My mom will probably spend the entire time trying to convince you to propose so I can be the good little housewife she's always wanted me to be and my sister will spend the entire time trying to do the opposite, telling you horrible stories about me until you run away screaming."

Henry chuckled, mulling over my words as our food was placed in front of us. He thanked the waiter before turning his attention back to me.

"There's a lot to unpack in what you just said," He informed me as he placed his napkin on his lap. "First, let's start with your mom. Your brother is a lawyer with a wife who's a therapist and your sister is a doctor, yeah?" I nodded in conformation. "Those are all admirable careers that take a lot of hard work so why are you so convinced that she expects you to just be a housewife."

"Because of how she talks," I shrugged. "I think because she doesn't see writing as an admirable career or one that takes much hard work, it's the next best thing. The only career I could have without a degree that she could be proud of would be for me to marry well and give her lots of beautiful grandchildren. She's very big on status and romance novelist didn't quite make the cut in her eyes."

"Well it should make the cut. Especially having two published, successful novels by your age. That's something to be proud of," Henry frowned. I appreciated his words, but wasn't sure I would agree since I had a promising career and let it fall apart because a boy broke my heart. I looked down, picking at my food as he continued. "Now, what about your sister? What could she possibly say that would make me run away?"

"She's my sister," I smiled. "She has all the dirt on me. And if that doesn't work then she'll probably make something up, anything that makes you realize you're too good for me."

Henry's frown deepened as he put down his fork and reached out for my hand.

"You've had a lot of people in your life tell you that you're not good enough," Henry mused aloud. "And it baffles me that you seem to believe it."

I felt my defenses rise and I moved my hand away from his, wishing I'd never brought up his childhood nickname after seeing the conversation that it led to.

"I don't believe it," I protested. "But I'm trying to save you from a bunch of awkward conversations and prevent potential arguments by not introducing you just yet. It's for your benefit."

"What will delaying it do?" Henry asked. "Surely, it's a hurdle we'll have to face at some point."

"Yes, but if we wait until after my new book is out then, if it does well, it may take some of the pressure off."

"It will do well because I read one of your books recently and you're a very talented writer," Henry confessed, making my eyes widen in surprise. "But you are good enough right now, whether you never write again or even if your next book is a flop, it doesn't matter. It's like what you just said to me, they should value you because you're smart and funny and a joy to be around, not because you have a successful career."

"Well, they don't," I snapped, regretting my tone as soon as the words came out. I took a deep breath to calm myself before I continued. "They don't value me as a person. My mom wants me to be more successful and my sister wants me to disappear off the face of the earth so I don't know what you want me to say."

I pushed my food around my plate, my appetite suddenly gone and Henry sighed, reaching out again to take the hand I'd moved away from him.

"I don't want you to say anything," He assured me. "I just want you not to care, to see that if they don't love you for who you are then that's their issue and not yours. And I want you to know that nothing your conniving sister could say to me would make me want to run away from you."

He lifted my hand to his lips, placing a soft kiss on it as I blinked back the tears that were filling my eyes.

"You're too good to me," I sniffled softly, using my free hand to wipe my eyes. Henry opened his mouth to protest, but I cut him off. "I'll try to remember what you said, but I still would prefer it if we waited on the introductions. Have a nice Christmas with your family and I'll be back for New Years, alright?"

"Alright," Henry conceded as our hands fell apart and we turned our attention back to our food.

\--

The rest of the dinner was spent making more small talk as both of us seemed to be mulling over our earlier conversation. It was an unseasonably warm evening though so once we were done eating, Henry suggested a walk along the Thames and I happily agreed. We were walking hand in hand, but there was no conversation and I was growing tired of the dark cloud that seemed to have appeared above us.

"So," I smiled after a few moments of walking in silence. "You read one of my books?"

"I did," Henry grinned as he nodded. "And I must say, you have a filthy imagination..."

I covered my face with my free hand in embarrassment as I laughed.

"I can't believe you read those parts," I giggled as I blushed deeply. "They're not like...my secret fantasies or anything. It's purely fictional."

"Hmm, that's slightly disappointing," Henry smirked. "I was particularly intrigued by the Mile High Club chapter."

"Hardly practical though, is it?" I pointed out, matching his smirk despite my still pink cheeks. "I mean, I know I wrote it, but I always wonder how people could ever get away with that without getting caught. Whenever I've been on a plane, there's no way no one would notice two people going into or coming out of the bathroom together."

"It's easier in First Class," Henry shot me a wink, but quickly backtracked when my jaw dropped. "Not that I would know first hand. It just seems like it probably would be easier."

"Oh, sure," I teased, knocking my shoulder against his playfully. "Seems like I'm not the only one who's a bit filthy."

Henry chuckled and stopped walking, using our joined hands to pull me towards him before wrapping his arms around me. I was surprised, but quickly melted into his embrace, breathing in his scent as a cool breeze from the river whipped around us.

"I'm sorry for being pushy," He said after a few moments of just enjoying our embrace. "I didn't mean to upset or pressure you into introducing me to your family if you aren't ready to."

"You didn't upset me."

My words were quiet and Henry pulled back enough to look down at me with a raised eyebrow.

"I almost had you in tears."

"The tears started when you were being too sweet," I pointed out. "It wasn't because I was upset."

Henry frowned at that information, probably wondering why telling me that it wasn't my issue if someone didn't love me for who I am was sweet enough to make me cry before he sighed and pulled me back against his chest.

"I've been enamoured by you since the moment you asked if you knew me from somewhere," Henry confessed, his breath against my hair. "I hate that you can't see how wonderful you are and it infuriates me that there are so many people in your life who have made you feel so unworthy."

"It's just a few," I protested quietly, leaning back again to look into his eyes. A shiver ran down my spine, but I couldn't decide if it was from the breeze or the intensity and sincerity of his gaze. "And I give them that power. It's something I'm trying to stop, but it's a long process."

Henry nodded, looking deep in thought for a moment before he spoke.

"I know why you let go of my hand today," He informed me. "Well. I don't _know_ , but I have a pretty good guess and I want to reiterate that I am so proud to be seen with you. I scratch my head when I look at you sometimes because you're so effortlessly gorgeous that I can't understand why you'd choose to be with me, little ol' Fat Cavill."

I giggled as a smirk slid onto his face and my heart swelled at his genuine words before I pressed onto my toes and let my lips press against his.

"Well then it sounds like we both have some things and insecurities that we need to work through," I smiled softly as the wind whipped my hair into my face, but Henry was quick to reach up and tuck it behind my ear. "Let's do it together, yeah?"

"Together," Henry nodded before leaning down to hover his lips over mine again. "Always."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I'm finally at the end of this flu, but it's been bad folks. I'm usually pretty good at soldiering on when I'm sick, but this has knocked me down.  
> I've been writing up a storm today though so hopefully I will get back to regular updates soon...this next week is hectic as I'm starting a new job tomorrow, but after it all settles down I should have more free time which means more time to write :)  
> As always thanks for your lovely comments and kudos!


	14. Chapter Fourteen

The rest of my time in London was much more light-hearted. Henry had no serious engagements so we spent our time wrapped up in each other. Watching movies, going to Henry's favourite places, taking Kal out for long walks and one day I even managed to convince Henry that we didn't need to leave the bedroom at all. It was a lovely five days overall and while I was sad to leave, I was ready to get back to Manchester to work on my novel and I was excited for Henry to be coming to see my part of England in the near future.

Once I left, Henry was busy with some extra voice over work for the Witcher and various photo shoots for the promo that would soon be starting and I threw myself into my plot planning so the weeks passed quickly. As always we did our best to stay in touch every day and it wasn't long before I found myself running towards Piccadilly station in Manchester to meet him.

"Shit," I mumbled as I looked at the time on my phone and picked up the pace a bit more, my yoga mat bouncing on my back.

Just as I walked through the doors to the station, Henry's face popped up on my phone.

"Hello," I answered, fighting to catch my breath. "My yoga class ran late, but I'm near the exit next to Boots."

"No worries, love," He assured me. "I just got off the train now, I'll head that way."

I relaxed knowing that I hadn't kept him waiting and smiled at the thought of seeing him so soon. I searched the crowd coming through the gate frantically and felt my heart swell when my eyes landed on him. It took more strength than I'm proud to admit not to run over and throw myself into his arms, but I restrained myself until he was standing in front of me.

"I've missed you," I mumbled into his chest as I finally got to wrap my arms around his strong shoulders. "I'm so glad you're here."

"I missed you too," He smiled as he leaned back, his arms still loosely around my waist. "Even though I feel I'm a tad over dressed."

He let his eyes run over my tight workout clothes and I giggled.

"I didn't think I'd have time to shower and change since I was running late already," I admitted. "Sorry if I smell."

"Not at all," He chuckled, leaning down to place a gentle kiss on my lips. "You're perfect as always."

A blush covered my cheeks at his words and I moved out of his embrace, taking his hand instead.

"Come on, my flat isn't far from here," I informed him as I led him outside.

He hesitated though, a frown on his face.

"Aren't we getting a taxi?"

"No," I giggled. "Manchester isn't like London. I live in the city centre so it's only about a ten minute walk. A cab would probably take longer."

"Oh, I see..."

He tugged his baseball cap further down on his head as he adjusted his bag on his shoulder and I realized his other concern.

"There's no paparazzi around here," I assured him. "At least, I've never seen any unless they're filming a movie."

He seemed to relax at that as we walked down the hill that led up to the station.

"So, no Kal?" I asked as we walked. "I assumed you would bring him."

"He's staying with a friend," Henry confessed. "I didn't know how much space you had and didn't want to impose by bringing the bear."

"We probably have enough space," I shrugged. "There's a park not too far as well so next time you make sure you tell him that he's welcome if he'd like to come."

Henry chuckled, but nodded and assured me he would pass the message along.

As I told him, the flat was only a short walk from the station, but once we were inside we were greeted by an unexpected voice.

"That you, Aubrey?" I heard Joe, Isla's boyfriend, shout from the kitchen. "Is Superman here yet?"

Henry raised an eyebrow at the voice as I'd told him no one would be in, but I simply rolled my eyes.

"Yes, Joe, he's here," I shouted back as I kicked off my shoes. "A more important question is why are you?"

"I'm working from home today," He grinned, popping his head around the door frame. "Hi mate, I'm Joe!"

"Henry," Henry introduced himself, lifting his hand to wave, a soft smile on his face as he was clearly still unsure what was happening.

"Henry, this is Joe. Isla's annoying boyfriend," I explained. "And funnily enough, Joe, this isn't your home so apparently you're not working from home today actually."

"It's my home away from home," He smirked. "But don't worry, I'll put my headphones in to give you two some privacy while you get reacquainted."

I flipped him off as Henry chuckled and I led him down the hallway to my room.

"He seems like quite the character," Henry observed once we were out of earshot.

"He is," I smiled. "Isla and him have been together as long as I've known her so we've gotten to know each other quite well over the years. He's like an annoying older brother, but he's a good guy."

"I don't doubt it," Henry smirked. "I'm sure you would have dragged Isla far away from him had he been anything less."

"Very true," I grinned as I opened the door to my room, pausing slightly. "Now, I didn't have time to tidy everything away so I apologize in advance for the chaos you're about to see."

Henry raised an eyebrow at my warning, but chuckled as I opened the door and he saw what I meant. I had a board up to help me with my plot planning, but it was slowly, but surely starting to take over the entire wall . There were papers pinned up everywhere, red string tying ideas together, descriptions of what I imagined characters to look like and various encyclopedia pages I was using for research.

"Jesus," Henry let out a breath. "Are you investigating a serial killer in your spare time?"

"No," I giggled. "It's for my novel. It's getting a bit out of hand..."

"It's a romance novel, no?" Henry asked. "Is all this necessary?"

"There's still romance," I assured him. "But I may be branching out a bit. There's a mystery this time, possibly a murder, I haven't decided yet. I wanted to try something a bit more complex."

"Well, this certainly seems complex," Henry agreed. "But I must admit, I'm pleased." I frowned at that statement and Henry rushed to explain. "Not that there's anything wrong with romance novels, but it's limiting in the sense that many people won't give them a chance. Your writing is excellent and held my attention the entire way through despite the fact that I mainly read fantasy novels so I'm glad you're branching out because it might catch more people's attention and show them what they're missing."

I blushed at his praise.

"Well, it's still heavy on the romance," I clarified again. "But I planned an affair and just got carried away with it. If I do it right though and with the right marketing, I guess you're right about catching the interest of people who would usually pass on the genre by default."

"I'm excited to read it," Henry said sincerely as he dropped his bag in a corner of my room before coming to stand behind me, his hands on my shoulders, rubbing gently but with just enough pressure to earn a groan from me as my head fell forward. "You must be sore from yoga, you feel tight."

His voice was low as he pressed a soft kiss to the nape of my neck. His hands felt hot against my skin as he brushed them under the collar of my loose shirt and my body instantly became incredibly aware of how long it had been since he'd touched me. I felt my breathing grow shallow as his hands and lips continued tracing over my skin until, embarrassingly, I was almost panting.

"I usually take a hot shower after yoga," I confessed, my voice raspy from his actions. "Perhaps you'd like to join me?"

Henry growled in response which I took as a yes before leading him across the hall to the bathroom for a wonderful tension relieving shower.

\--

The first few days of Henry's visit were spent catching up and introducing him to the wonders Manchester had to offer - mainly plenty of food and drinks. Henry protested after the first day, but eventually, once I promised to schedule enough downtime each day for him to get in a good workout, he resigned himself to the fact that many of my favourite places involved eating.

"I don't know how you stay so skinny," He'd groaned as I fed him a spoonful of a dessert fittingly named 'Crack Pie' from one of my favourite restaurants. I simply giggled and shrugged before assuring him that I didn't eat out every day for every meal, but just as he'd wanted to share pub afternoons watching rugby with me, I wanted to share the finer things in my life with him as well.

The weekend came about quickly and on Saturday morning, I woke up to Henry pulling me closer into his arms. His face was buried in my hair and I was thinking to myself how I'd never grow tired of waking up in that position when he spoke.

"Happy Birthday, Aubrey," He greeted me as my eyes fluttered open, his voice rough with sleep.

"Thank you," I grinned, tilting my head to kiss his jaw. "I can't believe I'm thirty..."

The words fell from my mouth with more disdain than I'd intended and Henry chuckled.

"It's not so bad," Henry assured me. "Your eyesight might start getting worse, but I hear things don't really start going south until you hit forty."

"So that gives you, what? One more year?"

Henry moved his hands down to pinch my waist, making me squeal and giggle at the ticklish sensation.

"Four, thank you very much," He informed me indignantly. "But you better be careful, with that attitude you might not get your present..."

I was about to protest that I specifically told him that I did not want a present, but when I hooked my leg around Henry's hip to pull him closer, I got another idea.

"Mmm," I groaned softly, feeling his morning wood pressing against me. "If it's what I can feel between us right now, then I promise to behave."

"It's not," He informed me, his voice low as his hand snaked under the shirt of his that I'd thrown on during the night when I got up to use the bathroom. "But it can be added to the list if that's what the birthday girl would like."

"She would like," I nodded, leaning up so our lips were just inches apart. "She would like that very much."

Henry pressed his hips against mine before capturing my lips with his, but just before things could go any further the door flew open.

"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you!" Isla and Joe sang at the top of their lungs. "Happy Birthday, dear Aubrey! Happy birthday to you!"

Henry and I shot apart, his cheeks instantly going red as he made sure the duvet was thick enough to hide his arousal.

"Fuck, guys!" I shrieked, my heart racing from having been caught. "I mean, thank you, but what the fuck!"

Our intruders froze in the doorway, finally taking the time to look at what they'd burst in on before they both practically doubled over laughing.

"Oh my god," Joe wheezed, holding his chest as he fought to breathe. "I'm so sorry, mate."

"I'm not," Isla giggled. "It's almost ten o'clock and we have celebrating to do! And gifts to shower you with! There's no time for any of that business this morning, I'm afraid."

"I need to move out," I groaned, laying my head back against the pillow. "I need to find a new room-mate who actually has a sense of personal boundaries."

"Oh, please," Isla started in a tone that told me she was rolling her eyes without me even looking. "You would miss me before you even packed all your things." 

I giggled, covering my eyes with a hand, knowing she was right despite my annoyance.

"Alright, now will you two please leave?" I demanded. "We'll be with you shortly if you leave us alone for a few minutes!"

"A few minutes?" Joe raised an eyebrow at Henry. "C'mon, mate, surely you can do better than that!"

Henry chuckled at his words and opened his mouth to answer, but before he had chance, I yanked the pillow from under my head and tossed it at the door.

"Get out!"

They both finally did as they were told and disappeared into the hallway, giggling like children.

"I'm so sorry," I groaned, rolling over and burying my head in Henry's chest. "I should have locked the door."

"It's fine," He chuckled. "Clearly, they just love you."

"And have no boundaries."

"That too," He smiled. "But now that the mood is completely ruined, shall we move on to your actual present?"

"I was looking forward to the other one," I pouted. "But alright, if you really went against my wishes and got me something then I suppose I'll accept it."

Henry grinned and leapt out of the bed, making sure to throw on some boxers in case of another intrusion before he dug through his bag, pulling out a decent sized wrapped box. He sat on the edge of the bed as he placed it in my lap.

"Now, I know you're going to protest," He informed me as I began picking at the tape. "But you deserve it and it's something you need so I'm hoping you won't be too annoyed with me."

He looked a tad sheepish and once I pulled back the top of the paper I saw why. It was a brand-new MacBook air.

"Henry," I breathed out, shocked by the extravagant gift. "This is too much, it must have cost you a fortune..."

"It wasn't cheap," He admitted, knowing that he couldn't hide the cost of it as it was common knowledge. "But you need it! You told me when you were in London that your laptop keeps freezing and it leads to distraction so it's the least I can do to help your creative process. I had them download all the latest and best writing programs as well as I wasn't sure which one you use and it has the best battery life so you can don't have to worry about it dying on you while you're focused."

If the gift it's self wasn't amazing enough, his thought process behind it brought tears to my eyes. I gently placed my new prized possession on the bed next to me before leaning forward and pressing my lips against Henry's.

"Thank you," I whispered once we pulled apart. "This is by far the best gift that anyone has ever given me."

"So you'll keep it?"

"Absolutely."

"Wonderful!" He grinned. "I hope it's earned me the right to a sneak peek at some of your chapters."

I giggled at his ulterior motive and shook my head.

"I have no chapters written yet," I confessed. "But no one gets a sneak peek, I'm afraid."

"Damn," Henry sighed. "Well, I better get to be the first to read it then."

"That I can do," I promised, kissing him one more time before reluctantly pulling away again. "Anyway, we should probably get dressed and see what those two nosey idiots want before the barge in here again."

Henry laughed, but nodded before standing from the bed, stretching and hunting for some clothes.

\--

Once we left the bedroom and I'd been showered with affection and gifts from Joe and Isla, we made breakfast and lounged around for a bit before starting the celebration planning business. We were just having a small get-together with our friend, Brandon, and his boyfriend, Allister who were coming down from Edinburgh for the weekend, but they wouldn't arrive until late due to the long train journey so the set up was up to us. Isla decided that Joe and her would be in charge of snacks for the evening so Henry and I were in charge of alcohol and were promptly kicked out of the flat to get our supplies.

There was a grocery store only about a five minute walk from the flat, but Henry insisted we go to the fancier one that was a good ten minutes farther away. He reasoned that it was a nice day, but it wasn't. It was rather overcast, but he decided the fact that it wasn't raining for the first time since he arrived was enough to qualify it as a nice day. I relented, knowing that Henry hadn't been doing his usual morning cardio other than our bedroom activities since he'd arrived so he probably fancied a walk to get some exercise in. My suspicions weren't even aroused when he took ages deciding what kind of gin he wanted for his martinis or when he agonized over what kind of beer would be best to get for Joe and the other guys, but finally, about an hour later, when we finally got back to the flat his delay tactics all became clear.

"SURPRISE!"

The group of people in my apartment screamed as we walked through the door. I almost dropped the bags I was holding in shock before I laughed at the sight of all my friends and acquaintances in England squished into our living room.

"Oh my gosh," I smiled, feeling completely overwhelmed. "I don't think we bought enough alcohol..."

"It was all a ruse!" Isla grinned, pushing her way to the front of the small crowd. "We have plenty!"

"Plus, we'd never show up to a party without bringing something to drink!" Brandon reminded me as I squealed and ran over to give him a hug. I hadn't seen him in months due to the distance and he was always a welcome sight. "Happy birthday, beautiful Bree!"

"Thanks, Brandon," I beamed, feeling so loved and grateful for all my friends. "I thought you weren't coming until late tonight?"

He smirked as he looked down at me.

"It was all part of the plan!"

I smiled, shaking my head, still shocked by the whole thing.

"I can't believe you guys managed to surprise me. No wonder Henry wanted to go to the farthest possible grocery store from our flat."

I rolled my eyes at the thought, but a cheeky look slid onto Brandon's face.

"Where is this new man of yours?" He asked. "Do I get an introduction?"

I gave him a fake stern look, putting my hands on my hips.

"As long as you promise not to sexualize him," I demanded. "He's gorgeous, but he's more than just a piece of ass."

"I have a boyfriend now, Bree!" Brandon reminded me. "I don't make a habit of trying to seduce straight boys anymore."

"Good," I nodded before taking his hand and leading him over to Henry who was taking our shopping bags to the kitchen. "Henry! This is my friend, Brandon. Brandon, this is Henry."

"Nice to meet you," Henry smiled, holding out his hand for Brandon to shake. "I've heard stories!"

"Oh god," Brandon groaned. "Anything this one or Isla told you can not be taken seriously."

"Don't be silly," I giggled. "We didn't even tell him about that time we were all at that pub near your flat and you-"

Brandon's hand flew out and covered my mouth as I dissolved into giggles.

"Aubrey, that is not a story for your super handsome, super celebrity boyfriend!"

"He's not a super celebrity," I rolled my eyes as I pulled his hand off my face. "He's just Henry."

"Exactly," Henry smirked. "I'm just a normal guy, mate. So please don't censor your story telling on my behalf."

I grinned and opened my mouth to continue, but the look that Brandon gave me made me close my mouth.

"That's not a story for anyone!" He clarified. "If I hear one more embarrassing peep out of you, missy, I'll be on the next train back to Scotland."

I pouted, but reluctantly agreed before leaving the two of them to get acquainted while I went through the rest of the guests and thanked them for coming.

It was already almost four o'clock when we'd arrived back at the flat so after a couple of hours of socializing, Henry and I disappeared to my room to get ourselves dressed up for the evening. We managed to do it fairly quickly with minimal touching and kissing, which was unavoidable after being interrupted that morning and once we were ready, the party was in full swing. The drinks were flowing, the music was bumping and everyone was having a blast.

It wasn't until almost eleven when Isla started herding people to the door.

"Where are we going?" I asked, feeling my cheeks flushed with the many drinks I'd consumed. "Is it a walkab-bleh-ble...walkable distance?"

Isla's hysterical giggles that came out as I stumbled over my words showed me I wasn't the only one feeling the rather strong drinks we'd been pouring all night, but once she composed herself, she nodded.

"It's a bit of a trek, but the walk will do us all good!" She informed me, as she continued to usher everyone outside. "We're going to MOJOs!"

"That's so far!" I groaned, knowing it would take at least fifteen minutes for a sober group to walk that distance. "Can't we get a taxi?"

"I think there's a few too many of us for that, love," Henry smiled, sliding his hand around my waist. "But if you don't think you can make it, I'll give you a lift?"

I stared at him for a moment, my confusion written all over my face.

"You're too drunk to drive," I reminded him. "And you don't even have a car."

"That's very true," He nodded. "But I have been known to give excellent piggy back rides."

"Awwe, you'd really do that?"

My heart warmed at his offer as he nodded. 

"Anything for the birthday girl."

We were the last ones out the door and Isla rolled her eyes as she locked it.

"She's a grown woman," She informed Henry. "She can walk."

"Don't be jealous because your boyfriend isn't strong enough to carry you ten feet never mind a whole mile."

"Hey now," Joe piped up, appearing by our side. "What am I being insulted for this time?"

"Henry's going to show off by carrying Aubrey to the bar," Isla explained. "And if you really loved me then you'd carry me too."

"Sorry, babe," Joe smirked as he lit a cigarette. "I guess I just don't love you like I thought I did."

The group had started drifting off in the general direction of our destination and Joe shot Isla a wink before following them. She whined and stomped her foot, almost losing her balance in the process before Brandon rushed to hold her steady.

"Awe, love," He cooed before wrapping her in a hug, something he tended to do a lot when he was drunk. "I'll carry you."

That put a smile back on her face as she happily climbed onto his back before Henry squatted down in front of me.

"Are you sure?" I asked, hesitating slightly as I put my hands on his shoulders. "I don't want to hurt you..."

His back shook as he chuckled before grabbing the back of my knees and hoisting me onto him.

"I think I can manage," He assured me. "You're as light as a feather."

I giggled and kissed the back of his neck softly as we watched my drunk friends running off ahead of us. Isla was squealing and clinging on for dear life as Brandon bucked around like a horse in a rodeo as if he was trying to throw her off despite his tight grip on her legs. We were at the back of the pack, but it was nice to have a moment of peace after spending the last few hours surrounded by people. I rested my chin on Henry's shoulder so my lips were next to his ear and sighed contentedly.

"Are you having fun?" I asked. "I know you stopped drinking about an hour ago, but are you still having a good time?"

"I'm having a wonderful time," Henry nodded. "Your friends are all lovely and I'll have a few more drinks while we're out, but I don't want to get too carried away."

"Mmm, don't worry," I purred into his ear. "I'll give you a nice, intense workout when we get home to burn off all those calories."

Perhaps it was the slur in my words that ruined my seduction attempt, but Henry simply chuckled.

"We'll see about that," He smirked. "If you keep going at this pace, I'll be carrying you home unconscious."

I gasped and hit his chest.

"I am not that drunk!" I protested. "I'm just like barely even past tipsy!"

"I'm not sure about that," He teased. "Any more shots for you and you won't be able to stand up by yourself."

I 'hmmph'ed indignantly, but knew he probably wasn't far from right and made a mental note to have a few glasses of water once we got to the bar so that Henry's prediction wouldn't come true.

\--

The rest of the night was spent dancing which was perfect because working up a sweat burnt off some of the alcohol. We went up to the top floor to get away from the masses of people who usually stayed on the main floor and we almost had the whole room to ourselves. Perhaps it was that privacy or the few extra drinks he'd had once we arrived, but I was relieved to see Henry relaxing and enjoying himself. He didn't quite reach the point of joining my friends and I as we danced on the tables, but he did dance with me when I was on the floor.

Overall, the night was an absolute blast and when we stumbled back into our flat just after two in the morning, I was on top of the world. I peeled off my boots before flopping onto the couch with a dopey smile on my face.

"Oy, get off my bed," Brandon whined, walking over and tugging on my arms, trying to pull me up. "I'm tired."

"This isn't your bed," I giggled. "Allister's getting the couch because he's the guest. You can have the floor."

"I'm a guest too!"

Brandon's voice was whiney and somewhere in the distance, Isla announced she'd get some pillows for our two guests who didn't have a bed. Her voice was strained and croaky from all the singing and the tiredness she was now feeling and I reluctantly rolled off the couch, knowing it was time for the night to end. Henry was leaning on the wall, watching me with a soft smile and I bounced over to him before taking his hand, leading him to the balcony.

"What are we doing?" He asked, as I made sure the blinds were closed and shut the sliding door behind us.

"I like to come out here after a night out," I shrugged. "The fresh air makes me feel better."

"Do you not feel well?"

"I feel great," I grinned, leaning back against the railing. "It's just refreshing after being in a sweaty bar all night."

Henry nodded before gasping as I hoisted my bum up onto the thin railing. I used the support beam for the balcony above us to steady myself, but Henry rushed to grab me anyway with worry all over his face.

"Aubrey, this doesn't seem safe."

His hands settled on my waist, holding tightly to keep me in place as he fretted, but I just giggled and wrapped my legs around his waist to pull him closer as I assured him it was fine. We stayed like that for a few moments, just watching each other as I felt a familiar feeling rise in my chest. It had started in London, the first few flutterings of a feeling I wasn't ready to put into words, but after the last few days in Manchester, I felt it so strongly that I couldn't hold back.

Leaning forward, I rested my forehead against Henry's before softly pressing my lips against his. It was a gentle kiss, not like the sloppy, desperate kisses we'd shared the last time we'd been drunk together, it was slow and controlled and my heart raced as I pulled back.

"I love you," I whispered, my eyes still closed and our foreheads still resting softly against each other. I let the words hang in the air between us for a moment before I leaned back and rushed to explain. "I'm not just drunk. I know you must think that, but I mean it. You make me feel like no one ever has. Like I'm important, like I'm worthy, like I don't have to constantly strive to impress you. But at the same time you make me want to be better, to work on myself instead of running from my problems so that I can look at myself with the kindness that you look at me with. You make me laugh, you make me proud, you make me happier than I thought I deserved to be." I choked up as he watched me, his face not giving away an indication of what he was thinking so I continued to fill the silence with my ramblings. "You don't have to say it back, but I've been feeling it for a while and I should have found a more romantic way of telling you, but being loved is a nice thing so I thought you'd maybe wanna know."

A tear dropped down my cheek as my heart swelled once the word's it had been screaming all week had finally been spoken. Henry's hand was quick to reach up and wipe it away before he answered me.

"It is a nice thing to know," He agreed. "Which is why you should know that I love you too. I've loved you since you pulled me down into that mud with you the night we met. You were the breath of fresh air I desperately needed in my life and being with you, seeing you smile, making you laugh, wiping your tears, every moment we share makes me feel like the luckiest man alive."

Another tear slid down my cheek at his heartfelt confession and I was at a complete loss for words. Knowing he felt the same way that I did, that he was as wrapped up in me as I was in him, made my heart sore in a way that I couldn't describe. Instead, I simply pulled his head towards me and captured his lips in a kiss that I hoped would convey my many emotions. It was desperate and passionate, our tongues fighting as if trying to prove who's feelings were deeper, but I as slid my hands into his hair, scratching my nails over his scalp, he pulled back, groaning softly.

"We need to relocate," He demanded. "I'm scared if I loosen my grip on you, you'll fall off this balcony."

I giggled and pulled him towards me with my legs that were tight around his waist.

"I've got a pretty good grip on you too," I reminded him. "You'd have to shake pretty hard to get rid of me."

Henry chuckled, but slid his hands down to under my bum before lifting me off the railing and taking my full body weight onto him. I tightened my grip around his neck before resting my head on his shoulder as he manoeuvred his way through the glass door. The lights were still on in the living room, but our guests were fast asleep curled up together on the couch so we quietly made our way to my bedroom undisturbed.

That night things between us were different than anything I'd ever known. We didn't fuck or have sex, as cheesy as it sounds, what we did could only be described as making love. It wasn't frantic and sloppy like most drunken romps usually were, it was slow and passionate and left me feeling adored and more bonded to Henry than I had with any other man I'd ever let into my life. I was left with the realization that, despite what I'd thought, I'd never known what it actually meant to be in love and as I fell asleep in his arms, I felt a sense of peace, comfort and acceptance that I felt like I'd been searching for my whole life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm soo sorry this took so long to get up! I was working two jobs as I wrapped up my old one and started my new one so I was doing 12-17 hour days and haven't had a day off in over a week. But now I'm down to one job and will have much more free time!  
> Thanks for sticking with me and I hope you enjoy!


	15. Chapter Fifteen

After our wonderful time together in Manchester, Henry was off on one of his many travels. This time to Shanghai, which was eight hours ahead of little old England, the opposite problem to what we'd had when he was in America at the beginning of September. He continued to remind me that we hadn't struggled much with the time difference then, but I still pouted about it knowing that he would be waking up as I went to bed and would probably be quite busy by the time I woke up.

As I should have expected though, time continued to fly by. Particularly because I now had a deadline to meet. Granted, that deadline was a few months away, but my agent had pulled some serious strings to get me a meeting with a top publishing agent in London in February so I was taking it very seriously. They wanted a complete, detailed outline and at least a few chapters, even if they were still very much a rough draft, so I had my work cut out for me.

It was an opportunity that I wasn't about to squander so I threw myself fully into my writing. Sometimes the days were filled with passion and enthusiasm and sometimes they were filled with frustration and tears, but whenever the self-doubt felt like it was almost overpowering me, Henry was there. He talked me down every time, reminding me of my talent and ability even when I felt like throwing the wonderful laptop he'd given me across the room and burning everything I'd ever written.

He arrived back in London in early November after almost three weeks away and I was heading down to see him as soon as possible, but unfortunately the first snow fall of the season had arrived as well. It was odd, as snow was unusual in England especially so early, but more than anything it was infuriating as England had absolutely no idea how to handle it. I was supposed to get the nine o'clock train to arrive at Henry's house late in the morning, but it was cancelled. And so was the next one. And the one after that. By the time a train was actually going to attempt the journey, it was so packed that it was standing room only with everyone squished tightly together which was a joy for a two hour trip.

In the end, that two hours turned into almost four with constant weather delays along the way and by the time we arrived into London, I was in a foul mood. It was only made worse by the fact that the weather made getting a taxi harder than winning the lottery and the tube had almost as many delays as the train so it took another hour and a half to get to my final destination.

I trudged through the wet slush that was left on the sidewalk as I headed towards Henry's house, a scowl on my face and my fists clenched by my sides in annoyance and also in an attempt to warm my fingers. I was so focused on my sulking that I didn't even notice the man standing in front of me until I walked right into him.

"Oh!" I gasped, jumping back in shock. "I'm so sorry!"

A familiar chuckle filled my ears as I looked up and saw the man I'd run into was, in fact, the man I was heading to see.

"Henry," I breathed out, feeling some of my annoyance fade away just at the sight of him. Even more so as I wrapped my arms around him. "What are you doing out here?"

"I was coming to meet you at the tube station," He confessed, pulling me tightly against him. "I was getting antsy waiting for you at home."

I sighed as I moved out of his embrace, the scowl returning to my face as a cold wind whipped around us.

"Yes, well, I was getting antsy as well," I informed him. "I've been stuck on stupid trains all day that were barely going two miles an hour. I probably could have walked here faster, honestly."

"Really?" He raised an eyebrow, a smirk on his face. "You could have walked from Manchester to London in less than six hours? That's truly impressive."

"Shut up," I mumbled. "You know what I mean. This country is a nightmare. It's barely even ten centimetres of snow and everything comes to a stand still? It's a joke!"

Henry chuckled at my ranting as he took my hand in his, soothing my cold fingers with his warmth.

"You're not in Canada anymore, love," He teased. "Us Brits prefer to hide indoors until the snow melts rather than actually deal with it."

"Well, that's stupid," I grumbled, unable to shake the mood I'd sunk into. "It's completely unreasonable for everything to shut down over a few snow flakes. Honestly, you should do some good with your money and buy this fucking country a few decent snow plows."

"This 'fucking country' only gets snow once or twice a year so, really, that wouldn't be worth it."

He was right, but I was tired and annoyed and disappointed that he wasn't sharing in my sulking so I bristled at his comment.

"Oh really? It wouldn't be worth it if it meant that you got to spend a few extra hours with your girlfriend instead of her wasting almost the whole day on overpriced, unreliable public transit?"

Henry sighed and I could tell that I was getting on his nerves, but I couldn't help it. I'd had a horrible day and needed to wallow and there was something about his cheerful attitude that was getting my back up.

"I'm sorry you had a bad journey," He sympathized. "But forgive me if I would rather be grateful that I get to finally see you after three weeks apart than waste more time being angry that it took a little bit of extra time."

I let my hand drop from his and crossed my arms over my chest as we stopped in front of his house.

"Easy for you to say," I huffed. "You were waiting in the comfort of your own home, not trapped on an overstuffed train with no where to sit."

Henry frowned and his patience was clearly drawing thin with my attitude.

"What do you want me to do, Aubrey?" He asked, his tone short and his annoyance clear. "You didn't need to come if it was going to be such a hassle for you and if it was going to make you so bloody miserable, I don't see why you bothered."

I felt my cheeks burn at his harsh tone as I knew his words were true, but as I felt tears spring to my eyes I remembered why exactly I was so overwhelmingly irritated by the days events.

"I'm sorry," I choked out as Henry's eyes widened in surprise at my tears. "I'm being such a bitch and you're right. We've not seen each other in so long, this isn't how I wanted our day to go. I'm just frustrated...and hormonal."

"Hormonal?" Henry raised an eyebrow, a smirk on his face as I wiped away my tears.

"I have my period..."

I felt childish in the way the words came out as a shy mumble, but it wasn't something that had really come up between us yet and I knew some men found the topic completely disgusting. Henry, however, tossed his head back laughing in a way that made my lip pop out in a pout as he pulled me against his chest.

"Don't laugh at me!"

My protest was muffled by his chest as it still shook with his laughter.

"You're adorable," He teased as he pressed a kiss to the top of my head. "But you have every right to be frustrated and annoyed by the absolutely incompetence we have when it comes to snow, whether you're hormonal or not."

"But I don't need to take it out on you," I admitted. "So, I'm still sorry."

"And you're forgiven," Henry smiled. "Now, let's get you inside and warm and get your mind off your horrible morning."

\--

Once we were inside, Henry let me change into one of his big hoodies that was like a dress on me before we curled up on the couch under plenty of blankets with tea and a fire burning nicely in the fireplace.

"This is perfect," I sighed happily, leaning my head on his shoulder as I clutched the mug of tea trying to warm my hands. "Thank you."

Henry smiled and leaned down to place a kiss on my lips in response. All the stress melted away at the sensation and I came to the conclusion that I would do that journey a million times over to spend time with him. Once our lips parted, I realized that I had been so wrapped up in my own issues, I hadn't even asked about Henry's trip.

"So, how was Shanghai?"

A grin slid onto his face at the question.

"It was great!" He told me enthusiastically. "I've been a few times now, but I always enjoy it. I'd love to go back on my own time and actually be able to explore the city."

"I've never been," I confessed. "It's never been somewhere that I've ever even really thought about, but I'm always up for new adventures if you fancy a travel buddy."

"If that travel buddy is you then that's always something I'd fancy," Henry said making me scoff and smile at his cheesy words. The smile slid off my face though as I winced in pain slightly when my stomach cramped. I breathed through it, but Henry noticed. "Are you alright? Would you like some paracetamol?"

My cheeks flushed at him having noticed my discomfort and despite the dull ache that had formed, I shook my head.

"No, I'm okay."

Henry sighed, resting his hand on my knee as I sipped my tea.

"Why are you embarrassed about this?"

"I'm not!" I insisted, which wasn't necessarily a lie. I was thirty years old and had been having periods for more than half my life, it was something I was used to and open about with the right people, but..."It's just my ex...never mind."

Henry's frown deepened as I cut myself off and I knew he wouldn't let it drop.

"Why won't you tell me?" He asked, sounding truly disappointed. "You can talk to me about anything."

"I know," I sighed. "I just feel like I'm constantly talking about my ex with you and I don't want you to get the wrong idea. I'm not hung up on him or anything."

"I know," Henry smiled softly at my reassurance. "But he hurt you and now you're trying to navigate a new relationship so of course the comparisons come up. Now, what were you going to say?"

"He just always made a big deal out of it, I guess," I shrugged. "Whenever I had my period he was so disgusted and made me feel bad about it, like I was gross and dirty so I'd always try to hide it. I'm not embarrassed about it, but he did always make me feel like I should be ashamed."

The look of shock on Henry's face relaxed me before he even spoke.

"I'm sorry, but were you dating a fifteen year old?" He asked, making me laugh and all the awkwardness of the conversation melt away. "No mature man would ever make you feel that way. It's a normal thing and nothing to be ashamed about. In fact, it's a good thing. It means you're healthy and even if there were things he wanted to avoid during that time, he should never have made you feel bad about it."

"I know and I knew it at the time," I nodded. "But there was something about him. He had so much power over me. If my friends ever told me their boyfriends behaved the way he did, I would have lost my mind, but I thought he loved me and I couldn't see how toxic his behaviour was. I'm trying my best to put it in the past, I promise, but there's things that pop up and my instinct is that you'll react how he did even though I know it's not true so I guess it makes me shy."

Henry nodded, but was silent for a moment and I hoped I hadn't offended him.

"I don't want you to be upset by what I say next," He started after his moment of thought. "But have you thought about getting therapy?"

I smiled at his suggestion and nodded my head.

"I had therapy when we first broke up," I admitted. "My sister-in-law hooked me up with someone, but I didn't really like it. She kept insisting that I was a victim and it just made me feel weak."

"You shouldn't feel weak," Henry insisted. "But it sounds like he was very emotionally abusive towards you for quite a while and it might help having someone to discuss it with who knows what to say. I try my best, but I'm not a professional and sometimes I don't know how to help."

I leaned up and pressed a soft kiss to Henry's lips, hoping to convey how grateful I was to have found him.

"You help more than you think, just by listening to me and not being like him," I assured him. "But you're right. It would take the pressure off you a bit if I found someone else to talk to."

"I don't mind the pressure," Henry insisted. "I'm happy to listen, but I don't feel like I can always give you the help that you need."

"I understand," I nodded before Henry got a sheepish look on his face.

"If you do go..." He started, suddenly sounding quite shy. "Maybe, once you're comfortable, I could come for a session? If you want to keep it private, that's fine, but it might be beneficial for me to hear what they have to say."

My heart swelled at his suggestion and I felt tears prick my eyes. Many people, especially men who grew up in a house full of testosterone, thought therapy was dumb and a waste of time and yet here was Henry, encouraging me to go and volunteering to go with me so that I could optimize my mental health and he could help.

"I think that would be a really good idea," I smiled, leaning my head on his shoulder to hide the tear that rolled down my cheek. "Thank you, Henry."

"No, need to thank me," Henry insisted, lifting my chin with his finger to look him in the eye. "I love you, Aubrey and this is how you treat people you love. You would do the same for me."

"I would," I nodded. "I love you too."

Henry lowered his head just enough to capture my lips with his, but, as if sensing a loving moment that he was being left out of, Kal decided to climb onto the couch while we were distracted and flopped his giant body right across my lap. The last little bit of tea splashed from my cup and onto his fur, but he was unphased as he looked up at us with his dopey little grin. I couldn't help, but giggle at the sight despite the interruption and leaned down to press a kiss to the top of his head.

"Awe, Kal," I cooed. "We love you too, bear."

Henry mumbled something about loving him more when he didn't disrupt romantic moments, but I didn't mind at all. Sitting in front of a fire, watching the snow fall slowly outside, curled up on the couch with the man I loved and his giant, adorable dog, was pretty much my idea of pure happiness and I was so grateful that I'd finally found it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit more angst brewing there...I hope it's not getting old with Aubrey's issues popping up, but I'm trying to make it realistic and unfortunately for a lot of people coming out of a toxic relationship, it hangs over their next one. At least they're on track to getting it all sorted though! Big things coming up!  
> Also...I said before that Henry was going to Singapore, but I realized that wasn't where he went in October so I changed it haha sorry for the confusion if anyone even noticed!


	16. Chapter Sixteen

While getting a therapist seemed like a wonderful, perfect idea when I was curled up in Henry's arms and I had fully intended to start looking for one once I was back in Manchester, it quickly got pushed aside. Opening up to someone was hard and when I did the initial Google search just to see what my options were, there were lots of people saying how it takes time and effort and sometimes multiple different therapists before you find someone who's the right fit. It made sense, since my first attempt at therapy hadn't gone as I would have liked, but psyching myself up to go to one therapist would be hard enough, potentially having to go to several made the task seem impossible. So, I put it on hold for the time being and Henry knew well enough to let the subject drop after his gentle prodding got rebuffed more and more harshly every time he brought it up.

November was a cold and grey month in England, but busy nonetheless. I was writing frantically to meet my deadline as I knew that December would be busy with the holidays and not leave me with much time and Henry was run off his feet with interviews and press to promote the Witcher. He was practically bouncing off the walls with excitement for it to be released and my heart swelled with pride every time I watched an interview and saw how passionate he was about the show.

The big day arrived sooner than I expected and before I knew it, I was sat in Henry's bedroom doing my hair for my first ever premiere as my nerves fluttered in my stomach. I decided on an updo, with a braid across the front, almost like a crown and my [dress](https://www.gotceleb.com/wp-content/uploads/photos/ana-de/armas-knock-knock-premiere-in-hollywood/Ana-de-Armas:-Knock-Knock-Premiere--02.jpg) was long and flowy, with a slit up the middle to my mid thigh. It dipped low in the front and was black, but had bright flowers all over it. Isla and I had spent ages shopping to find a dress that was formal enough for such an event, but would also be something I could wear again and as soon as I saw it, I knew it was perfect. Once my hair was pinned in place, I slid on my black heels and stood up, looking in the full length mirror on the wall.

I was just adjusting the top of my dress when Henry walked out of his walk-in closet, fixing the tie around his neck.

"Wow," He breathed out as he took the few strides across the room to stand behind me. "You look amazing..."

"Yeah?" I questioned, meeting his eyes in the mirror as he slid his arms around my waist and rested his head on my shoulder. "The dress is okay? I wasn't exactly sure how fancy to go..."

"It's perfect," He smiled, pressing his lips against my shoulder. "Are you nervous?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" I reached up to stroke his cheek as I asked. "Are you nervous?"

"Not really," Henry shrugged. "I'm nervous for everyone else. It's their first time being involved in something like this. It's going to be big, I know it is, and they're about to be thrown in the deep end."

"And they'll be fine," I assured him. "You'll help them all through it."

"I know, but I also know how much of a shock it can be, even if you think you're prepared," He sighed. "But anyway, you didn't answer my question. Are you nervous?"

"Of what?"

"The cameras, the press, the fans," He listed. "It's your first time at a big event like this as my date. It's going to draw a lot of attention to you."

"A bit, but I'm not too bothered about that," I assured him. "To be honest, I'm more nervous about meeting your family."

Henry's family members who would be attending with us had arrived as we were upstairs getting ready and I could hear them all laughing and chatting downstairs as we spoke. Henry raised an eyebrow, his chin still on my shoulder.

"You've met them all before," He reminded me. "At the beach."

"Yeah, but that was different," I insisted. "I wasn't your girlfriend then."

"Close enough," He smirked. "They already knew I was _smitten_ , remember?"

"I do," I giggled, thinking back to his nephew's words as we swam in the ocean with them. "I just hope they approve."

"They do," He grinned. "No one's had a bad thing to say about you and my mum's been dying to see you again and get to know you better."

A blush covered my cheeks at his words, but I couldn't hold back a smile.

"Great," I squeezed his hands that were still wrapped around my waist. "Then she can help me through tonight while you're off being Mr. Famous Henry Cavill."

"She would love that," He agreed, pressing a kiss to my neck. "Now, are you all ready?"

"I am," I nodded, wiggling out of his grasp to pick my clutch up off his bed where I'd left it. "Are you?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."

His smile suddenly seemed forced and I could see there were more nerves below his tough exterior than he had admitted.

"Hey," I said softly, taking his hand in mine. "The show is going to do amazing and everyone is going to fall in love with you just as much as I have."

Henry lifted my hand to softly press his lips against my knuckles.

"And my family will fall in love with you just as much as I have."

I grinned, but felt a tad unsure still as he led me to the door.

\--

Once we were downstairs and I'd been reintroduced to his large, loving family, we headed outside to the limo that was waiting. The younger of his two nephews that were with us pouted as we had to leave Kal behind, but Henry rushed to assure him that he could visit with the big dog again very soon even though I was pretty sure that Henry wished his pal could come too.

I was sat between Henry and his mother, his hand on my leg for comfort as he spoke to his brother who was on his other side after passing out champagne to all the adults in the group.

"Are you nervous?"

His mother's words broke me out of my thoughts and I smiled softly as I nodded.

"A bit," I admitted. "I just don't really know what to expect. I've never been to anything like this before, certainly not on the side getting all the attention."

"It won't be as bad as you're thinking," She assured me. "But then again, I'm not his beautiful date."

"I don't think anyone will even notice me," I blushed at her compliment. "Not with all the other beautiful stars of the show around."

She laughed at my comment, but shook her head.

"You're in for a shock then, love," She teased. "You look stunning and everyone's eyes will be on you. Henry's a lucky man."

Henry's hand squeezed my thigh, making it clear that he was eavesdropping despite still being in conversation with his brother.

"Thank you," I said genuinely before a small smirk slid onto my face. "But I'm really just here for a sneak peak of the show. It's all been a long con, leading up to this moment."

"Oy!" Henry protested as his mom laughed, confirming my suspicions of eavesdropping. "It's not too late for me to have your name taken off the list, you know."

"You wouldn't do that," His oldest nephew, Johnny, smirked. "Then you wouldn't get laid later."

Henry choked on the champagne he was sipping as his sister-in-law went pale at her son's words.

"Jonathan Piers Cavill," She scolded, her voice harsh. "That is highly inappropriate! Why on earth would you say such a thing?"

Henry and his brother's smirked as they clearly tried to hold back their laughter, my cheeks burning and his parents sitting silent, but unamused.

Johnny had the decency to look sheepish as he answered.

"Jenna at school was talking about it," He shrugged. "She said her older sister was telling her that it's what all men want, just to get laid, but they only get it if they're lucky."

"Jenna's sister sounds like a wise woman," Henry's brother Niki commented, earning a smack from his wife as their son piped up. 

He was a few years younger than his cousin and apparently less informed.

"What does getting laid mean?"

"Johnny?" Henry asked, a smirk still on his face. "Since you seem to be the expert, maybe you can fill Freddie in."

"Henry, stop it," I whispered, not wanting him to get involved. 

From the look Johnny's mom shot him, she didn't either.

"It's just sex," Johnny answered, acting nonchalant despite his dark red cheeks. "It's not a big deal."

"It is when you speak about it so crassly," Piers informed his son. "Especially when you're inferring about it regarding other people."

"Yes, whether your Uncle Henry gets laid tonight or not is no one's business, but his and Aubrey's," Niki piped up again, clearly enjoying the awkward situation.

"Alright, that's enough," Their dad announced as I contemplated throwing myself out the moving vehicle to get away from the embarrassment. "This conversation has gotten wildly out of hand. Johnny, apologize to your Uncle and Aubrey for being so rude and let's talk about something else."

"Sorry, Uncle Henry. Sorry, Aubrey."

Johnny's apology was quiet as he looked down at his hands and Henry was quick to assure him that no harm was done, but an awkward silence settled between us all as no one knew what to say next. Luckily, kids and their questions can sometimes come in handy and Freddie spoke up again.

"Aubrey, is it true that everyone in Canada has a moose?" He asked, his suspicion written all over his little face as everyone chuckled at his question. "Thomas told me that they do, but I don't believe him!"

I smiled, but shook my head.

"No, unfortunately that's not true," I admitted. "I wish it was, but moose are really big! Even bigger than a horse so it would be hard to find space to keep them!"

"I knew it," Freddie mumbled, more to himself than to anyone else and all the adults smiled affectionately at his curiosity.

"Thomas likes to tell tall tales," Marianne reminded him. "It's always best to double check when he tells you something that sounds silly."

I smiled as she rolled her eyes at the thought of her Canadian grandson and I felt myself relax again despite the embarrassment I'd felt moments before as I enjoyed how lovely it was to be surrounded by such a loving, supportive family.

\--

Arriving at the premiere was filled with an overwhelming amount of chaos. Henry stepped out of the limo first, followed by me and then the rest of his family. Instantly there were cameras flashing in our faces and I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment before I realized people were taking pictures and I didn't want to be photographed with a scrunched up face.

I adjusted quickly though, comforted by Henry's thumb brushing reassuringly against the back of my hand. We posed for a few photos as everyone shouted a million questions at us before we were slowly shuffled a bit farther down the carpet to where a few of Henry's co-stars were mingling and posing together. More nerves flooded through me, having heard stories of these people and knowing Henry's strong affection for them and it was only made worse when Henry let go of my hand to pull a tall, dark haired woman and a shorter, blonde haired woman into a tight embrace.

I stood awkwardly now that I was alone, but couldn't help, but smile at the sight. He looked so happy and proud and I was filled with my own sense of pride of him. I watched him as he laughed with his friends, enjoying the happiness that was radiating from him, but I wasn't by myself for long before someone bounded over to me and pulled me into a hug. I was shocked for a moment before I managed to wiggle free and saw the infamous Joey Batey in front of me.

"Hello! I must say, you are even more gorgeous in person," He grinned. "I'm still baffled by why you're with our dear old Henry."

I giggled, knowing it was just friendly ribbing and shrugged.

"It's all for the money," I joked. "And the publicity, of course."

"Ah, now it's all becoming clear!" He chuckled. "Well, if you ever find yourself wanting fame and money from someone much more handsome than Mr. Cavill, you just let me know."

"I'll keep that in mind," I smiled as people snapped pictures of us. "There sure are a lot of press here..."

"More than I expected," Joey nodded in agreement. "But it's promising, means the show will be set up to do well."

"I can't wait to see it," I admitted. "Henry's been hyping it up since we met. He tried to teach me how to play the game, but I was horrible at it."

"I think he just tries to teach people to show off his skills," Joey rolled his eyes. "He's made all of us play just to swoop in and take over once we start to lose."

"He always has to be a superhero."

I smiled fondly at the memory of the afternoon that Henry and I had spent curled up on his couch while I struggled through the game he loved so much, making him do it for me more often than not.

We watched as he posed for some photos with the women he'd gone to greet, but it didn't take long for Henry to start looking around until his eyes landed on his friend and I. He smiled at the sight before dragging the women over towards us.

"Aubrey, this is Anya and Freya," He introduced me. "Ladies, this is my girlfriend, Aubrey."

Another wave of pride filled me at the word 'girlfriend' and I grinned as I hugged each of them.

"It's lovely to meet you," I said sincerely. "Henry's told me so much about you both and you both look amazing!"

"So, do you!" Anya smiled. "Your dress is gorgeous!"

I was just about to respond in kind, but Freya jumped in before I could reply.

"And can I just say, I'm actually such a big fan," She confessed. "I read both of your books when they first came out so when I found out you were dating Henry I was like 'oh my gosh, no way'!"

I beamed at her praise and was quick to thank her for her support as I was amazed that she'd even heard of me, but Henry pulled a face.

"Excuse me, young lady," He said sternly. "You would have been, what? Not even fifteen when those books came out? Why on earth were you reading romance novels at that age?"

"Sorry, dad," Freya rolled her eyes. "I didn't know there was an age restriction on good literature."

I giggled as Henry opened his mouth to argue, but before he had a chance someone who looked very official appeared and ushered them over to the crowd of fans and reporters standing nearby. I looked around for somewhere I could stand that was more out of the way and saw Henry's family off to the side. I quickly made my way over to them, relieved to be out of the spotlight for a bit.

"Hello, love," Marianne smiled warmly as I stood by her side. "How are you holding up?"

"Good," I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. "It's a lot, but I think I'm doing okay. My vision is going to be spotty for days though."

"Oh god, I know what you mean," Marie, Piers' wife, rolled her eyes. "I remember the first time we came to one of these things with Henry, I thought I was going to go blind."

"Exactly," I laughed in agreement. "Surely these days they should be able to make a camera that can take a high quality photo without a flash that bright."

"You would think so," His other sister-in-law, Gemma, nodded. "But I have a theory that they do it purpose to disarm them and make them more vulnerable to intrusive questions."

"Oh, very clever," I giggled. "Get them all half-blind and dazed and then start asking about their personal lives."

"It would work on me!"

We all laughed at the thought before Marianne put a comforting hand on my arm.

"Henry's very professional at these things, he has plenty of experience," She assured me. "He won't be easily caught off guard or spill any secrets."

"Oh, I'm not worried," I smiled, glancing over to where he was signing something for a very excited fan while mocking Joey's signature on the poster in his hand. "I trust him not to share too much, but if he wants to be open about us then it doesn't bother me."

"I think it'll be hard for him to keep quiet about you, to be honest," Gemma smiled. "He talks about you constantly. Whenever we've seen him since the day you met, it's 'Aubrey this' and 'Aubrey that'."

I felt my cheeks darken once again as Marie joined in.

"It's true! He can't help himself. Every story he tells leads back to you and he mopes like lost puppy when you're not in London."

"I'm probably the same, if not worse," I admitted with a smile. "It drives my friend crazy, but it's hard being apart."

"Even if it's hard, I'm glad you found each other," Marianne informed me, making my smile turn into a beaming grin at her acceptance of me. "Since you came into his life, he's more happy and relaxed than I've seen him in a long time."

"Relaxed? I feel like sometimes all I do is wind him up and stress him out."

I was half joking as I knew I didn't always stress him out, but our recent somewhat tense conversations regarding my therapy did come to mind. The men had been standing behind us, but were deep in their own conversation so I was surprised when his brother spoke up.

"From my experience, it's a woman's job to wind up her partner," Piers teased, earning protests from his wife. "But you're good for him, we can all see it. You do make him very happy."

I could have cried knowing that they all were as pleased that we were together as we were. Knowing they were a close family, I knew it was important to Henry that we get along and I was elated that they had accepted me with such ease and not made me fight to earn their approval.

"I really do love him," I told them, letting my eyes find him once again as he was now speaking animatedly in an interview. "I know it's only been a few months, but I don't know what I'd do without him."

"You'll be married within a year," Niki announced. "I'd put money on it!"

Gemma was quick to scold him for making such a bold statement, but I just laughed and shook my head.

"I'm not so sure about that," I shrugged. "But I'd be a very lucky girl if I got to call him my husband so maybe one day."

There was a chorus of 'aww'ing from the women as little Freddie jumped up and down with excitement.

"Can I be the ring bearer? Please!" He begged. "Johnny got to do it for Uncle Charlie so this time it has to be my turn!"

"It's a bit early to plan for that, buddy," I smiled. "But I'll put in a good word for you if the time comes."

Johnny then decided that if he couldn't be the ring bearer, he would be the best man which led to protests from the younger cousin as he realized he hadn't picked the most prestigious role. Piers jumped in, insisting that as the eldest brother it would be his job to be the best man which earned protests from Niki and led to a scolding from their mother as she pointed out that it would ultimately be Henry's decision and not worth fighting about. It was an endearing conversation, but luckily we were all waved over for a family photo with Henry before they could really start hammering out all the details of a wedding that was no where near ready to happen.

We all lined up for the picture even though the camera's were flashing before we were even in place and I smiled as Henry slid his arm around my waist and pulled me close.

"Are you okay?" He asked, his voice low so that only I could hear. "I hope it's not too uncomfortable being alone with my family so much."

"Not at all. They're very welcoming," I smiled, looking up at him briefly. "In fact, we were just trying to decide who would be your best man at our wedding."

His eyes widened as I giggled and turned my attention back to the photographers.

"I didn't know we were getting married," He smirked as the pictures were done and we were ushered closer to the door of the theatre. "That's wonderful news, but can I ask how it came about without my involvement?"

The woman who had been moving Henry from fans to interview to interview shouted his name once again before I could answer so I settled for simply stretching up to place a quick kiss on his lips.

"I'll explain later," I assured him. "Go amaze your adoring fans."

He chuckled and shook his head before shooting me a wink and rushing off to where he was needed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm seriously blown away by the support this story gets! You all make my day when you comment and let me know you're still reading. I'm sending you all big kisses! <3


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